


Come Close, Close to Me

by pansexuall



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Dancing, Dirty Talk, Exhibitionism, Hand & Finger Kink, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Matchmaking, Multi, Mutual Masturbation, Mutual Pining, Nonbinary Character, Oral Sex, Other, Polyamory, Public Sex, Trans Akaashi Keiji, Trans Character, Trans Kozume Kenma, Voyeurism, a lot of pokemon, bokuakakuroken is not official but it is heavily implied that it will happen in the near future, brief mentions of transphobia - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-05
Updated: 2017-02-04
Packaged: 2018-09-22 02:48:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9579107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pansexuall/pseuds/pansexuall
Summary: “Why would I talk to Akaashi about this?”Kuroo raises his eyebrows at them and almost looks uncertain when he replies, “Because he’s trans?”“Akaashi?” Kenma repeats, and they must look genuinely shocked because Kuroo’s incredulous expression is threatening to collapse into laughter. “Akaashi is trans?”“Um, yeah,” Kuroo says, disbelief in his voice. “You really didn’t know?"A romcom get-together fic featuring Bokuto and Kuroo: Overenthusiastic Matchmaking Duo, Akaashi, who can't seem to stop overthinking things for the life of him, and Kenma, who finds companionship (and a surprising new crush) in an unexpected place.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, this might just be the gayest thing I have ever written.
> 
> The main focus of this fic is Akaashi and Kenma's relationship, but Kenma & Kuroo, Bokuto & Kuroo, and Bokuto & Akaashi are already dating at the start of this fic. It's not technically a bokuakakuroken fic, but it's hinted at so many times that it might as well be. (I'm planning a sequel y'all, don't worry.)
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this!! It's the first Haikyuu!! fic I'm ever publishing, so I'm a little nervous. Let me know what you all think <3

“Kenma?”

There’s a finger poking their shoulder insistently, and then suddenly their blanket is being pulled away from their face, exposing their newly opened eyes to the bright overhead lights. Kenma makes a small noise of protest and grabs for the blanket again, yanking it from Kuroo’s grip and burying themself underneath the fabric completely.

“Kenma,” Kuroo repeats, voice closer this time, and Kenma guesses that he’s kneeling in front of them now.

When Kenma doesn’t reply and the silence sits heavy in the air for a long moment, Kuroo sighs deeply and nuzzles his face into the covers. Kenma can feel the comforting heat of him close by when he asks quietly, “Did you just get back from class?”

“No,” Kenma tells him after a brief pause.

“Oh,” Kuroo says, sounding slightly surprised, and his voice trails off before he continues, “Have you been out here the whole time then? I was waiting for you in our room after class, and when you didn’t show up I texted you… you didn’t respond though.”

Kenma swallows, guilt slowly working its way into the crevices of their mind. Quietly, they answer, “Yeah. I turned my phone off, sorry.”

“You turned it… off?” Kuroo asks, and Kenma curls further into themself at the worry they hear in his voice. “Why?”

“I wanted to take a nap,” Kenma responds automatically, squirming uncomfortably under Kuroo’s questions.

“Out here? On the couch in the living room?” he says in disbelief. “Kenma…”

Kenma hates this tone. The _stop playing games with me because I know something’s wrong_ tone. Kuroo places his hand on their shoulder gently and Kenma flinches instinctively, not anticipating the touch. They clench their teeth and squeeze their eyes shut tight when Kuroo’s hand immediately stills and he whispers a sad, quiet, “Kenma…”

“I’m sorry,” Kenma says, and their voice is not as steady as they would like it to be.

“Kenma, please tell me what’s wrong,” Kuroo insists, voice gentle and pleading. “I know something happened, so don’t lie to me and tell me you’re fine.”

Kenma licks their lips anxiously and opens their eyes, staring numbly at the dim light filtering through the blanket and the dark, solid shadow cast by Kuroo’s body. They know Kuroo won’t relent until they give in, so they take a small, shaky breath in the quiet of the living room and mumble into the couch, “I hate everyone.”

“Mmm,” Kuroo hums noncommittally, urging Kenma to continue.

“I— ” they begin, unsure of what they want to say exactly. “I just don’t understand… I feel like no one actually listens to me.”

Kenma is dancing around the source of the problem and they know that Kuroo can tell, but as they anxiously pick at the skin around their fingernails under the blanket, they are unsure of how to proceed.

“It’s just…” Kenma closes their eyes again and wills themself to actually get the words out this time. “No one uses my pronouns.”

The silence sits heavy in the air like thick, suffocating fog, and Kenma holds their breath, uncertain if they should continue or if they want Kuroo to speak or if they just want to stop talking altogether.

“You do, obviously,” Kenma continues in a rush. “And Bokuto and Akaashi and like, some people from high school… but people in class don’t.”

“Have you tried correcting them when they make a mistake?” Kuroo suggests, and although Kenma already anticipated this question from him, it doesn’t make the hot burn of shame in their stomach any more bearable.

“I—I can’t,” they admit, digging their fingernails into the skin of their arm. “I can’t.”

“Too anxious?” Kuroo guesses, and the hand on their shoulder starts to move, rubbing slow, soothing patterns across their back.

Kenma doesn’t respond, and Kuroo leans in to give them what they assume is a kiss on their head through the fabric of the blanket.

“I’m always here to support you, Kenma. You know that,” Kuroo assures them, “but I don’t know if I can really provide you with the guidance or perspective you really need right now. Have you ever tried talking to Akaashi about this kind of stuff?”

“Akaashi?” Kenma pulls the blanket down to uncover their face and blinks owlishly in the brightness of the room, eyebrows furrowing in confusion as soon as their eyes adjust to the light. “Why would I talk to Akaashi about this?”

Kuroo raises his eyebrows at them and almost looks uncertain when he replies, “Because he’s trans?”

“Akaashi?” Kenma repeats, and they must look genuinely shocked because Kuroo’s incredulous expression is threatening to collapse into laughter. “Akaashi is trans?”

“Um, yeah,” Kuroo says, disbelief in his voice. “You really didn’t know? Kozume Kenma, detective extraordinaire, never realized that Akaashi was trans?”

“Detective extraordinaire?” Kenma snorts before adding, “Though you can’t expect me just to _know_ someone’s trans based on their appearance, Kuroo.”

“No, I know, I know,” Kuroo affirms, patting them on the back. “But it’s definitely come up in conversation before! Not explicitly or anything, but like sometimes Bokuto will refer to you and Akaashi as our partners or our datefriends and stuff like that. You’ve honestly never noticed?”

“Oh,” Kenma says, slightly in awe but mostly embarrassed. “I always thought he was just saying that because of me.”

Kuroo laughs at that, leaning forward to press a real kiss to the top of their head this time.

“Kenma, you beautiful, clueless fool,” Kuroo coos, stroking their hair. “He _was_ saying it because of you, but he was also saying it because of Akaashi.”

“I am _not_ a clueless fool,” they grumble, shaking Kuroo’s hand off their head. Kuroo’s smile tells them that he knows this but just wants to mess with them. “Akaashi’s really trans though?”

“Mhm,” Kuroo confirms, smiling gently at what Kenma realizes is probably a very hopeful expression on their face. “Akaashi is very much nonbinary.”

“Oh,” Kenma breathes, and they suddenly want to talk to Akaashi _right now_.

How would they even start that conversation though? _Hi, I’m nonbinary, as you know, and I’ve only now found out that you are also nonbinary, so let’s sit down and talk about it._ Kenma doesn’t really do serious, sit-down conversations like that if they can avoid it. Also, though they do spent a decent amount of time together considering the fact that Kuroo and Bokuto have been dating for a couple years now, they’ve never spent time alone together for more than a couple minutes, and Kenma’s not sure if they really know how to have a conversation with Akaashi at all.

As if Kuroo can tell exactly what Kenma’s thinking, he leans down and tells them, “I was thinking the other day about inviting Bokuto and Akaashi over for a movie night sometime soon. What do you think?” Kenma nods, possibly a little too enthusiastically, and quickly diverts their eyes. Kuroo’s face lights up, and he’s grinning again as he reaches for his phone in his back pocket.

“I’ll send Bo a text right now,” he declares.

Kuroo’s fingers fly across the keyboard as he types out the message, and Kenma shifts on the couch to reach for their phone inside their backpack, turning it on as soon as it’s in their grasp. Before their phone has even finished starting back up, Kuroo locks his own phone and puts it on the ground next to him with a triumphant little, “sent!”

“Come up here,” Kenma insists, patting the limited space next to them on the couch.

Kuroo lifts an eyebrow doubtfully but tries his best anyway as he climbs in next to Kenma, attempting to snuggle as close as possible and also prevent himself from falling off the edge. With a soft grunt, Kuroo shifts so that he’s on his back and pats his stomach in invitation for Kenma to climb on top of him. With a grateful smile, Kenma clambers on top of their boyfriend and snuggles into his chest, pulling the blanket over the both of them as Kuroo closes his eyes for what Kenma assumes is going to be another nap. They whip out their phone instead and after realizing that it has finally turned back on, unlock it to find a long string of messages from Kuroo.

 

**Kuroo (4:13 PM)** did you get lost in the snow? ;)

**Kuroo (4:25 PM)** lol kenma?

**Kuroo (4:30 PM)** did you go somewhere??

**Kuroo (4:37 PM)** not gonna lie, I’m a little worried. text me when you see this please

 

Cheeks warm in embarrassment, Kenma shifts a little on top of Kuroo so that they can type back.

 

**Kenma (5:19 PM)** I’m sorry, I love you.

 

Kenma locks their phone and closes their eyes, and when they hear Kuroo’s phone vibrate on the floor next to the couch, Kenma knows that Kuroo will read the message when they both wake up later.

 

 

 

 

“Love Actually is a _classic_ ,” Bokuto insists that Friday night from where he’s curled up against Kuroo on the couch.

“A _classic_ ,” Kuroo reiterates to Akaashi, who looks wholly unimpressed from where he’s sitting on the other side of Bokuto.

“We can watch it if you want,” he says with a shrug. “I just said I would have preferred a different movie, but this is fine if you both want to watch it.”

“Those are fighting words Akaashi,” Bokuto growls playfully and leaves his position under Kuroo’s arm to tackle him, nearly tumbling off the couch with Akaashi in tow.

“Bokuto, please let me go,” Akaashi sighs from underneath him, slightly exasperated as he tries to wiggle out of his grasp.

“Never,” Bokuto says with a smug grin, leaning down to kiss Akaashi on the mouth.

Kuroo extends his leg to kick Bokuto in the butt. “Hey, no fighting,” he chastises.

Bokuto pauses to turn to Kuroo and correct, “I’m a lover, not a fighter, Kuroo,” before dipping down and kissing Akaashi again.

“Then stop being so gay for one second and choose the movie. You have the remote,” Kuroo reminds him.

When Bokuto finally pulls away from Akaashi and climbs off of him to resettle on the couch, remote in hand, Kenma sees the faint blush dusting Akaashi’s cheeks and the small smile he wears as he snuggles a little closer to Bokuto than before. The loose, long-sleeved shirt Akaashi is wearing must have slipped off his shoulder at some point during the tussle, exposing his collarbone and leaving his shoulder entirely bare, and Kenma watches as Akaashi reaches up to carefully readjust it.

When the movie starts, Kuroo pulls Kenma closer, entwining their fingers together and letting their hands rest on top of Kenma’s thigh. Kenma leans over to rest their head on Kuroo’s shoulder in response, scooting closer until the angle is comfortable for their neck and then directing their attention to the movie playing in front of them.

“What the fuck,” they say as soon as their eyes focus on the TV.

Bokuto is poorly concealing his laughter behind his hand, and Kuroo looks down at them, one eyebrow raised and grinning broadly as he teases, “is something the matter, Kenma?”

“Is this a joke?” Kenma asks slowly, voice almost threatening.

“What do you mean?” Kuroo cocks his head to the side in false confusion.

“This is porn,” Kenma states, staring unblinkingly up at Kuroo.

Bokuto snorts loudly and has to muffle his face in the crook of Kuroo’s arm in attempt to control himself, and when his laughter turns into violent coughing, Kuroo bursts into laughter as well, unable to maintain eye contact with Kenma for any longer. Akaashi rolls his eyes and leans across the two hysterical boys between them to explain to Kenma, “This isn’t porn. It’s just the beginning of the movie, I promise.” He nods toward the screen, and to Kenma surprise, they find that Akaashi is right; they aren’t really watching porn. Kenma elbows Kuroo in the side. Hard.

“You’re an ass,” they tell him. “Go make me popcorn.”

Kuroo comes back down from his laughter to concede, “Alright, alright. I’m sorry, Kenma. I’ll make you popcorn, but Bo, you’re coming with me!” He grabs Bokuto, who is still laughing viciously, now with tear tracks on his cheeks, and practically drags him off the couch and into the kitchen. Akaashi has the sense to reach for the remote and pause the movie before glancing over at Kenma, shaking his head slightly.

“ _Boys_ ,” he says solemnly, and okay, if Kenma hadn’t just found out that Akaashi was nonbinary a few days ago, they would have certainly known _now_.

“Boys,” Kenma agrees and rolls their eyes.

Akaashi’s lips quirk slightly into a tease of a smile before he glances down into his lap and says, “Okay, I have to confess, Kuroo told me about you only just finding out that I’m trans.”

Kenma groans, covering their face with their hands in embarrassment. “I picked a terrible boyfriend,” they complain, and Akaashi actually laughs out loud.

“It’s okay. I don’t think it’s as embarrassing as you probably think it is,” he assures them. “I’m only a little surprised that you didn’t know sooner, but it’s fine.”

Kenma uncovers their face reluctantly and, praying that their cheeks aren’t still as red as they feel, asks, “So you’re nonbinary then?”

“Mhm,” he confirms, rubbing his thumb absentmindedly against his thigh. “Agender, just like you.”

“The same exact gender and everything,” Kenma mumbles, resisting the urge to hide their face again.

“Hey, I told you, it’s okay.” And suddenly his hand is on Kenma’s knee in reassurance. “Now that we’re mutually aware of our similarities, that just means we can become closer, right?”

“Oh, right,” Kenma manages, feeling their cheeks become inexplicably hotter again.

Akaashi looks like he’s about to speak, but Bokuto enters the room with Kuroo behind him, singing, “Popcooooorn!” in a staggeringly loud and alarmingly operatic voice. Kenma winces and Akaashi snorts quietly before announcing, “Ok, Kenma’s sitting over here with me now and you two loud-mouths can sit over at the other end of the couch.”

Bokuto sputters indignantly and Kuroo whines, “But Kenma… I just got us popcorn—per your request! Also, Bo was the one singing, not me!” Kenma shrugs and moves over to sit closer to Akaashi unapologetically.

“He’s the one offering me peace and quiet, though. Not you,” Kenma reasons as they reach for the remote and resume the movie. “I still expect popcorn though.”

Kuroo grumbles to himself as he grumpily pours popcorn into Kenma’s waiting hands, and Bokuto pats him on the back reassuringly.

“It’s okay, bro,” he reassures, letting Kuroo lean his head on his shoulder pathetically. “I’m still here for you.”

Kenma rolls their eyes, and before they can turn their attention back to the movie, Akaashi leans over with a face devoid of any emotion whatsoever and whispers, “If I have to hear one of them call the other “bro” one more time I think I’m going to explode.” Kenma snorts and almost spills their popcorn.

 

 

 

 

 

Kenma awakens a couple hours later with a hand in their hair and a quiet voice in their ear urging, “Kenma, wake up.” They make a small, sleepy noise of protest and nuzzle further into the shoulder they must have fallen asleep on.

“Kenma,” the voice repeats, and they can hear Kuroo laughing from somewhere close by. “Are they always like this?”

“What? Clingy and unbearably cute?” Kuroo replies, a smile in his voice.

There is a brief pause before Kenma hears a quiet, “Yes,” next to their ear, and Kuroo laughs again. The hand running through their hair pauses to pat them on the head softly.

“Come on, Kenma,” Kuroo presses. “Akaashi has to leave. You can’t sleep on his shoulder forever.”

_Akaashi’s shoulder?_ Kenma’s eyes snap open immediately, and they brace themself before glancing up wearily at the person they are currently curled up against.

“Hi,” Akaashi greets, eyes sparkling in amusement when Kenma meets his gaze.

Slightly mortified at having fallen asleep on Akaashi’s shoulder, Kenma makes a pained noise and turns away from him to hide their face in Kuroo’s chest instead.

“You slept through the entire second half of the movie,” Kuroo informs them, his tone indicating to Kenma that he finds this fact hilarious. “And poor Akaashi didn’t know what to do with you drooling on his shoulder for an entire hour.”

“I don’t drool,” Kenma mumbles just as Bokuto reenters the room, two jackets in hand.

“Ah! I see somebody finally woke up,” he calls from across the room. “Here’s your jacket, babe.”

Bokuto slings Akaashi’s jacket over his shoulder, and Akaashi, cheeks slightly pink at the pet name, stands up to pull on his overcoat and fasten the buttons. Kuroo helps Kenma to their feet so that they can say their goodbyes, and Kenma watches as Bokuto wraps his scarf around his head several times until only a small sliver of his face is visible.

“You look like a marshmallow,” Kuroo comments, patting the puffy arms of Bokuto’s jacket.

“It’s cold,” Bokuto insists, peeling back the layers of his scarf from his mouth so that he can speak properly. “Without this jacket I’d die out there.”

“Pfft.” Kuroo rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling. “C’mere and give me a proper goodbye before you risk your life in the cold then.”

“Bro,” Bokuto almost stammers, clasping a hand over his heart. “I knew I chose you for a reason.”

“Bokuto-san, please stop being so melodramatic,” Akaashi reprimands from where he is putting on his own scarf near the couch.

Bokuto ignores him in favor of kissing Kuroo goodbye, and, shaking his head, Akaashi turns to Kenma.

“Hey,” he begins, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “We should do something together sometime, if you’re up for it.”

“Oh,” Kenma blurts, looking up to meet Akaashi’s gaze. “Sure. I can put my number in your phone if you want.”

“Yeah?” Akaashi asks, and then he’s handing them his phone for Kenma to put their number in.

Once Kenma finishes creating the new contact and returns the phone to Akaashi, Bokuto comes over to wrap Kenma in a staggeringly tight hug and then takes Akaashi’s hand in his.

“Alright, we’re off!” he declares, sending them a final wave goodbye as he opens the door. “See ya later!”

Kuroo and Kenma say their goodbyes, and then the door is closing, leaving them alone in silence.

“My feet are cold,” Kenma pouts, wiggling their bare toes on top of the carpet.

“C’mon, let’s put on warm pajamas then,” Kuroo replies, reaching down to wrap his arm tightly around Kenma’s waist as they walk to the bedroom together.

Kuroo brushes his teeth in the bathroom while Kenma puts on the warmest pajamas they can find, and when Kuroo returns to the bedroom, they swap positions and Kenma leaves to brush their own teeth. They return to the bedroom a few minutes later to find Kuroo already under the covers, scrolling through Facebook idly on his phone, and Kenma snuggles right up to his chest, inhaling his scent and sighing contentedly into his neck.

“You and Akaashi seemed to get along well tonight,” Kuroo comments, setting his phone down next to the pillow.

“Mmm,” Kenma hums in response, eyes already closed and body more than ready to fall back asleep.

“I saw you give him your number too,” he continues, reaching out to card his fingers through Kenma’s hair.

Kenma pushes into the touch and replies with a soft, “Yeah.”

“I’m glad,” Kuroo tells them and leans down to kiss their forehead. “Bo and I are happy that you two are finally becoming better friends. It’s cute.”

“Cute?” Kenma questions, and if they had more energy they would pull away from Kuroo to give him a dubious look.

“Cute,” Kuroo confirms, and before Kenma can reply further, Kuroo ends the conversation by muttering a sleepy, “I love you,” into their hair. Kenma’s heart flutters, and they smile as they return the sentiment, fingers tangling in the front of Kuroo’s shirt as their breathing slowly begins to even out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Unknown (4:10 PM)** hey, it’s Akaashi

**Unknown (4:11 PM)** I heard you got the new pokemon game?

 

Kenma is in the library with Kuroo, surrounded by a disorganized heap of their physics notes, when they receive the texts. Eternally grateful for an excuse to get away from working on their homework, Kenma adds Akaashi’s number to their contacts list and replies to the messages.

 

**Kenma (4:13 PM)** yeah but kuroo’s been hiding it from me until i finish this big physics lab report i have due on friday

**Kenma (4:14 PM)** so idk if it really counts as me having it yet

**Akaashi (4:16 PM)** no, it definitely counts. which one did you get?

**Kenma (4:16 PM)** moon

**Akaashi (4:17 PM)** ah, Bokuto has Sun. I’ve been playing it when he’s in class, but I don’t think he has any idea.

**Akaashi (4:18 PM)** (don’t tell him)

 

The corners of Kenma’s mouth quirk upward into a smirk, and they shift in the hard, wooden library chair in attempt to get more comfortable. They end up leaning forward with their elbows on the table as they text and resting their chin on top of their hands as they wait for Akaashi’s reply.

 

**Kenma (4:20 PM)** lol i won’t, don’t worry

**Akaashi (4:23 PM)** have you played it at all then?

**Kenma (4:23 PM)** no (¬_¬) he took it as soon as it came in the mail

**Akaashi (4:26 PM)** at least his intentions are good. I don’t think I’ve seen Bokuto do any homework at all this week, and I have a feeling you would be even worse.

**Kenma (4:27 PM)** rude

**Akaashi (4:28 PM)** sorry, I hope I didn’t actually upset you.

**Akaashi (4:28 PM)** so what starter are you planning on choosing?

**Kenma (4:29 PM)** litten

**Kenma (4:30 PM)** and don’t worry, you didn’t

 

“Hey,” Kuroo calls from across the table, and Kenma looks up to see Kuroo staring at him from over his laptop screen. “I’m trying to do research for my essay, but you know, it’s kind of hard to do when all I can hear is a phone buzzing every thirty seconds.”

“It’s not buzzing every thirty seconds,” Kenma mumbles defensively.

“Ok, so maybe like every _minute_. Is that more accurate?” Kuroo asks, but his tone is teasing and lacks any real malice.

Kenma shrugs and looks back down at his phone when it buzzes again, signaling a new text from Akaashi. They look up just in time to see Kuroo raising an eyebrow at them.

“Akaashi,” Kenma informs him, answering his unvoiced question.

“Akaashi?” Kuroo echoes, eyebrows rising comically high. “I was sure it was Hinata.”

Kenma shakes their head and utters a quiet, “nope,” as they read their new messages.

 

**Akaashi (4:32 PM)** good choice

**Akaashi (4:32 PM)** Bokuto chose Rowlet (no surprise there really) and named him Jingles?? I don’t know if he’s just really excited for Christmas or what but I thought it was an odd choice.

**Akaashi (4:34 PM)** if it were me I would have chosen Popplio though.

**Kenma (4:36 PM)** it’s pokemon, akaashi. you’re supposed to give all your pokemon weird names

**Kenma (4:37 PM)** it’s common knowledge

**Kenma (4:37 PM)** also i think jingles is kind of endearing

 

“So what are you talking about?” Kuroo asks coyly, nudging Kenma with his foot under the table.

“Stop being nosy, Kuroo. We’re just talking about Pokémon.” Kenma fights the urge to roll their eyes and fixes him with a pointed stare instead. “Which you still haven’t let me play, let me remind you.”

“No need to be bitter,” Kuroo insists, raising his hands defensively. “I’m just looking out for you… and your physics grade.”

“I’m doing fine in physics,” Kenma reminds him. “You’re just worried about what _could_ happen, not what is actually likely to happen.”

“You not turning in this lab report would look pretty likely if I had let you start playing the game already,” he continues, picking at the fabric of his jacket sleeve. “The sooner you finish this lab report, the sooner you get to play the game.”

Kenma’s phone vibrates, and they decide to pick it up instead of replying to Kuroo.

 

**Akaashi (4:40 PM)** I guess it is sort of cute, in a really weird and slightly questionable way.

**Akaashi (4:40 PM)** what would you say if I asked to play pokemon with you sometime? theoretically

**Kenma (4:41 PM)** theoretically i would tell you to come over right now

**Kenma (4:42 PM)** but in the real world i have a lot of physics to do before i’m even allowed to look at the game

**Akaashi (4:44 PM)** what about this weekend then? if you’re up for it

**Kenma (4:45 PM)** yeah ok

**Kenma (4:45 PM)** the exact due date for my lab report is Friday afternoon at 5:00, so how about 5:01?

**Akaashi (4:46 PM)** I’ll be there.

 

“Hey, stop smiling over there,” Kuroo says and gently kicks Kenma under the table again. “You’re really cute and it’s distracting.”

Kenma reaches up to touch their lips with their fingers. _Were they smiling?_ They hadn’t even noticed.

“Cute enough for you to give me my game now?” they try, and Kuroo laughs so loudly that other people in the library turn to stare at him.

“Good try, but no,” he replies easily and returns to working on his essay.

Reluctantly, Kenma sits up in their chair and stares blankly at the papers before them. _Ok, they can do this_. Kenma grabs their calculator off the table and starts to work on their calculations once more.

 

 

 

 

 

When Kenma finally uploads their finished lab report online, it’s 3:42 in the afternoon and significantly earlier than they expected. Shutting their laptop with an air of both immense relief and anticipation, Kenma reaches for their phone and texts Kuroo immediately.

 

**Kenma (3:42 PM)** done

**Kenma (3:42 PM)** where is it

 

They know Kuroo doesn’t get out of class until 5:30 on Fridays, but he promised Kenma that he would keep his phone next to him all afternoon for when they texted him. Their phone buzzes soon after they send the text, and Kenma scrambles to unlock it.

 

**Kuroo (3:44 PM)** so early!!! I’m proud of u <3 <3

**Kenma (3:44 PM)** where is it

**Kuroo (3:45 PM)** i’m not telling you until you acknowledge your promise that you’ll name your starter after me

**Kenma (3:45 PM)** ok yes yes yes i promise

**Kuroo (3:47 PM)** check the rice

**Kuroo (3:47 PM)** enjoy  <3

 

“Rice,” Kenma says out loud in disbelief. “ _Rice_.”

Kenma heads into the kitchen and opens the pantry, scanning the shelves somewhat blindly for anything that might contain rice until they spot a large container explicitly labeled “RICE”. Kenma takes it out and opens it, only hesitating for a split second before plunging their hand straight into its depths and smirking immediately when their fingers hit plastic. They pull the game out victoriously, wiping off a couple grains of rice clinging to the surface of the game before closing the container and racing to the living room to plop down on the couch.

 

**Kenma (3:50 PM)** just got the game if you want to come over early

 

Kenma is more than prepared; their DS is waiting for them on the coffee table, fully charged, and they notice that Kuroo apparently left a post-it note for Kenma to find on the top of their DS that reads, “Have fun!! Love you <3”. Kenma’s phone buzzes, and when they glance over to read the message, their smile widens even further.

 

**Akaashi (3:51 PM)** I’m in class for 10 more minutes and then I’m coming straight over. don’t name your Litten anything too terrible

**Kenma (3:52 PM)** sorry i can’t make that promise

 

Kenma wraps their blanket around themself before opening their game, putting it in their DS, and finally, _finally_ starting to play it.

 

 

 

 

 

When Akaashi arrives twenty minutes later, Kenma answers the door, DS in hand, and only glances up at Akaashi briefly and mutters a quick greeting before turning around and returning to the couch.

“Tetsu?” Akaashi asks in disbelief once he has taken off all of his outerwear and is sitting next to Kenma on the couch. “You named your Litten after Kuroo?”

“He made me do it,” Kenma assures. “This was not my own doing. Also, you can come under the blanket if you’re cold. Here.”

Kenma pulls the corner of the blanket out from under their body and shifts so that they are both covered and sharing the blanket equally.

“Thanks,” Akaashi says, and Kenma can feel him wiggle his toes in attempt to warm them up under the blanket. “So how far have you gotten? It’s only been… what, twenty minutes?”

“Mmm yeah,” they verify after glancing over at the time, “I haven’t gotten too far. There’s always a lot of dialogue at the beginning.”

“True,” Akaashi comments, shifting closer to Kenma so that he can see the screen better and pressing their arms together in the process.

Kenma feels a slight blush creeping onto their cheeks, and they pull their arm away from Akaashi’s instinctively, causing his gaze to flicker over to their face.

“Sorry,” Akaashi says, frowning. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or— ”

“No,” Kenma interrupts, looking down at their DS again. “It’s fine. I just wasn’t expecting it.”

To reinforce their own words, Kenma brings their arm back to its original place against Akaashi’s and leans against him so that both their arms and shoulders are touching this time. Akaashi seems to relax after that, and Kenma shows him the few Pokémon that they managed to catch before he arrived.

“Do you think I can make it to the first gym by the time Kuroo gets here?” Kenma asks as they engage a trainer in battle.

“It depends,” he replies thoughtfully, watching Kenma decide on which move to use against the opposing Pokémon. “How much do you have to do in the game before then?”

“I have no idea,” Kenma says.

Akaashi breathes out a laugh. “I guess we’ll find out then.”

By the time Kuroo comes back from class almost an hour and a half later, Kenma has in fact made it to the first gym, and they have also decided that they really, really like spending time with Akaashi. Akaashi doesn’t mind sitting in silence with Kenma for a while, and he knows not to interrupt Kenma’s train of thought when they’re focusing especially hard on a battle. That being said, though, he’s nice to talk to as well, and Kenma finds themself smiling a lot more than they’re used to when they hang out with other friends. The most surprising thing Kenma discovers about Akaashi, though, is that he’s really, inexplicably _cuddly_. Kenma originally had their doubts; Akaashi is so lanky that they just assumed he would be all bony and pointy, but they were very wrong.

When Kuroo enters the room, Kenma is snuggled underneath Akaashi’s arm, leaning back against his chest as they sit together on the couch. Kuroo approaches them from behind and ruffles the hair on both of their heads.

“ _Kuroo_ ,” Kenma complains, jumping slightly, and Akaashi reaches over to fix their hair, pushing it back away from their face again before moving to fix his own. “Thank you,” they mumble, cheeks warming at the touch.

“How’s the game? Can I see little Kuroo?” he asks insistently, leaning over Kenma’s shoulder and peering down at the DS.

“Ah, sure,” Kenma concedes, taking a moment to find their Litten before they lift the DS up toward Kuroo to show him. “Here.”

“’Tetsu’?” he reads, grinning wildly. “Kenma that’s so _cute_! But _you_ don’t even call me ‘Tetsu’!”

“Maybe if you stop ruffling my hair I will,” Kenma shoots back, and Akaashi looks over at them in amusement.

“Hmm, maybe I’ll consider it then,” Kuroo muses. “Though you do drive a tough bargain…”

“Stop distracting me,” they tell him. “I’m trying to focus on the first gym.”

“Oho? Already?” Kuroo sounds impressed and a little intrigued, but he doesn’t make any move to sit down. “I’m sorry, I would stay and watch you play, but I’m going out with Bo tonight. It was a little last minute if I’m being honest… I got a string of increasingly dramatic and desperate texts from him while I was in class. He’s lost without Akaashi in the house, and I can’t decide if that’s really cute or just sad.”

“I can’t believe he barely survived an hour without me there.” Akaashi sighs and runs a hand through his hair, making it stick up a little on the top of his head. “Honestly, you should have just let him sit at home alone for the night. It’d be good for him.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Kuroo agrees, shrugging a little. “But I have a hard time resisting his charm sometimes.”

“What charm? Bokuto’s a giant baby, especially when he gets like this,” Akaashi says seriously, and Kuroo laughs, shaking his head.

“I mean, you’re not wrong,” he replies. “But I’m kind of a pushover when it comes to him, and look where it’s gotten me!”

Kuroo throws his hands up in the air, and Kenma turns around to look him in the eyes when they say, “Kuroo, go get ready and stop distracting me. I have battles to win and pokemon to catch.”

“Ok, ok. I’m going,” Kuroo gives in, leaning down to kiss Kenma softly on the mouth, to which they blush but return his smile. “I’ll be back out in a bit.”

When Kenma turns back around to face forward, they see that Akaashi is watching them intently, and Kenma stares back.

“What?” they ask, fingers fidgeting with the stylus in their hand.

“Mm nothing,” he assures, briefly breaking eye contact to look down at Kenma’s DS and the stylus twirling through their fingers. “Just cute.”

Akaashi meets their gaze again when he says it, and Kenma has a difficult time listening to the rational part of their brain telling them that Akaashi is talking about their relationship with Kuroo and _not_ Kenma themself.

“What?” Akaashi’s voice brings Kenma out of their trance, and they realize too late that they’ve been staring wide-eyed at Akaashi for far too long, the stylus now dropped onto the floor and their empty hand frozen in midair. “I just think you two are sweet,” Akaashi clarifies further, but his expression doesn’t change at all and Kenma struggles to determine if Akaashi’s words and what Akaashi really means are the same thing.

Kenma diverts their gaze back to their DS and bends down off the couch to pick their stylus up from the floor, using this time to school their features and try to think of something, _anything_ , to say in reply.

“Thank you,” they end up mumbling, not even looking over at Akaashi when the words come tumbling out.

Kenma quickly engages the first trainer in the gym in battle in attempt to distract themself, but as they chose which moves to use and try to concentrate on what they’re doing, they can’t stop thinking about the fact that they hardly ever get this flustered. Kenma gets embarrassed fairly easily, but all the blushing and uncertainty over what to say… the only other person they’re ever like this around is Kuroo.

The realization hits Kenma hard and suddenly they’re staring blankly at the screen in front of them, completely unseeing. Kenma _likes_ Akaashi. Kenma has a _crush_ on Akaashi. _Oh my god_.

“I trust you to finish this battle,” Kenma says hurriedly, almost shoving the DS and stylus into Akaashi’s lap as they get to their feet. “I just remembered I forgot to submit part of my assignment. It shouldn’t take too long though. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Kenma tries not to walk too quickly as they leave the room, but they nearly trip over the edge of the couch and they pray that Akaashi didn’t notice. When they open the door to the bedroom and shut it behind them, Kuroo immediately looks up, a smile on his face until he takes in Kenma’s expression.

“What’s wrong?”

Kuroo’s across the room within seconds, and Kenma reaches out numbly to wrap their arms around his torso.

“Kenma, you’re freaking me out,” Kuroo whispers into their hair. “What’s wrong? Did something happen? With Akaashi?”

“Ah,” Kenma starts at the name and hugs him tighter, unable to form the words they need to say.

“Is this about… _liking_ Akaashi?” Kuroo presses further, and Kenma pulls away from him in surprise, staring up at him with wide eyes. “Ah, so it is then.”

“Kuroo, I only just realized a couple minutes ago. There’s no way you already knew,” they insist, slightly bothered by the fact that Kuroo seems to know more than they do recently.

“You’re right, I didn’t know. It was just a hunch,” he admits with a shrug. “But Bo and I have been low-key hoping that this would happen for a very long time so… I guess it wasn’t at the back of my mind, you could say.”

“W-What do you mean you’ve been hoping this would happen?” Kenma stutters. “You’re not mad?”

“Kenma,” Kuroo laughs, reaching over to clasp their hand in his. “We both agreed that this would be an open relationship and that we could date whoever we wanted with the other’s consent. Did you forget that?”

“No,” they reply, eyes darting away from Kuroo. “I just… I don’t know. I’ve never wanted to date anyone else beside you before. I feel guilty.”

“Guilty is the last thing you should be feeling right now,” Kuroo insists, squeezing their hand in his. “I give you my enthusiastic consent to woo him, okay? And you should definitely go for it. I think you have a pretty good chance.”

Kuroo winks at them and Kenma narrows their eyes.

“I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me,” they accuse, fighting the urge to stick their bottom lip out in a pout.

“There’s not much to tell,” Kuroo says casually. “I mean, the looks he gave you when you fell asleep on his shoulder last week were pretty sweet… and the expression he made when we kissed in front of him today was interesting, to say the least. That’s all I’m saying though.”

There’s a moment of silence before Kenma asks quietly, “He… gave me looks?”

“Mhm,” Kuroo confirms as he wraps his arms securely around Kenma’s waist. “Bokuto even noticed. He was so excited that he was practically vibrating on the couch next to me the whole time. I had to put my hand on his leg to stop it from jittering so much.”

Kenma presses their cheek against Kuroo’s chest, staring at the wall next to them. They only started entertaining the idea of liking Akaashi a few minutes ago, and the idea that both Kuroo and Bokuto have already thought about this extensively is slightly overwhelming.

“So…” Kenma’s voice trails off as they try to wrap their head around what Kuroo is saying. “You and Bokuto _want_ me to like Akaashi?”

“Neither of us are trying to pressure you into any, Kenma,” Kuroo says seriously, rubbing his hand soothingly over the small of their back. “If you wake up tomorrow and decide that you were totally wrong and that you don’t like Akaashi after all, that’s completely fine. We just think you two would be very good for each other… Also, it would be fun to go on double dates—or… quadruple dates? How would that even work since, you know, we all kind of overlap with our relationships and stuff? Because then it would be you and me, me and Bo, Bo and—”

“Kuroo.”

“Sorry, sorry.”

Kuroo buries his nose into Kenma’s hair and leaves it there, breathing deeply, and they stand like that for a while, holding each other in silence with their eyes closed and their breathing evening out. Kenma squeezes Kuroo tighter when he breaks the silence to ask, “You left Akaashi out there all alone, didn’t you?”

“Oh no,” Kenma breathes into the fabric of Kuroo’s shirt. “I told him that I forgot to upload an assignment.”

Kuroo’s chest shakes with laughter, and he whispers conspiratorially, “Ok, here’s what you do.” Kenma raises an eyebrow, already unsure about Kuroo’s tone. “You go back into the living room and sit next to him like nothing even happened. You pick up your DS, get your first gym badge, and then catch a shit ton of pokemon. But here’s the catch…” Kenma’s not sure where this is going, but they brace themself anyway. “The first pokemon you catch you name ‘Will’, and you have to make sure Akaashi sees it. Then you name the next one ‘Go’ and the next one ‘Out’ and the one after that ‘With’—”

“Oh my _god_ , Kuroo.”

Kenma tries to shove him away, but Kuroo only holds on tighter.

“Hey, stop complaining,” he tells them. “It’s a very romantic and totally foolproof plan that I promise you will work on him. Akaashi looks so serious all the time, but I bet you he’s all soft and squishy on the inside.”

“Whatever, I’m not doing that,” Kenma grumbles, trying to ignore the embarrassment rising up inside them.

“Ok, fine,” Kuroo replies nonchalantly. “So Plan B: you go back in there, climb into his lab so that you’re straddling him, and kiss him on the lips. This plan is definitely better if you’re going for less of a romantic approach and more of a _I want to fuck you right now_ approach.”

“ _God_ , Kuroo.”

Kenma finally breaks out of his hug and glares up at him, face flaming. Kuroo’s laughter fills the room, and his grin softens into a gentle smile as he reaches down to cup Kenma’s face, kissing them slowly and reassuringly.

“Go back out there,” Kuroo almost whispers. “I’ll be leaving in a few minutes, but I’ll keep my phone next to me all night. Text me if you need anything at all, ok?”

“Yeah, ok,” Kenma breathes, and, glancing down at his chest before returning their gaze to his face, Kenma adds, “Also, you should wear this shirt tonight. It looks really good on you.”

“Oh?”

Kuroo is grinning, and it’s Kenma who pulls him into a kiss this time. This kiss is longer, and it leaves Kenma slightly breathless. Kuroo gives them one last encouraging smile before they leave the bedroom and close the door behind them, walking back into the living room to find Akaashi sprawled on the couch with their feet propped up on the footrest. He turns around as soon as he hears Kenma’s footsteps.

“All good?” he asks as Kenma settles next to him, stretching their own feet out onto the footrest as well.

“All good,” says Kenma, and Akaashi hands them their DS back. “Oh, you didn’t get the gym badge yet?”

“Well, I wasn’t sure how far you wanted me to go,” Akaashi confesses, scratching his forearm, “so I just finished the battle with the first trainer for you. I didn’t want to get too far and have you miss out on things.”

Kenma’s lips quirk up into an almost-smile, and they check the HP of all their pokemon before initiating the second gym battle. Akaashi doesn’t seem as eager to cuddle up against them as before, so Kenma scoots over this time, leaning their head on his shoulder as they fight battle after battle and watch their pokemon level up with a sense of satisfaction.

“I’ll let you catch some if you want,” Kenma says once they’ve completed the gym and are back to catching wild pokemon. “What’s your favorite pokemon?”

“I don’t know if I have a favorite,” Akaashi admits, “but I probably like psychic type pokemon the best. Or water type, actually.”

“I’ll let you catch some when we find them,” Kenma promises just as Kuroo enters the living room from the bedroom.

Kenma notices that he’s wearing the dark purple button-down shirt that they suggested he wear, and they feel a ping of pride inside their chest. _You’re welcome, Bokuto_ , Kenma thinks, and once their eyes latch onto the tight-fitting pants Kuroo has chosen to pair with the shirt, they have an even more difficult time looking away. Kuroo comes over to the couch where Kenma has pulled away from Akaashi in order to say goodbye.

“Goodbye kiss?” Kuroo prompts, tapping his lips, and Kenma’s eyes compulsively flicker over to Akaashi before they comply.

When they sink back down next to Akaashi on the couch, he’s decidedly not looking at Kenma or Kuroo, and Kenma wonders if Kuroo was right about him reacting oddly to their previous kiss.

“I love you, and I’ll be back soon,” Kuroo says as he buttons up his coat. “Don’t forget to text me if you need anything, and I’ll let you know if I end up staying the night at Bokuto’s, ok?”

Kenma hums in response, focusing on the DS in their hand, and then Kuroo’s calling, “Nice to see you again so soon, Akaashi!” and slamming the door behind him on his way out.

With Kuroo gone, there’s nothing to interrupt their gameplay for the rest of the night except for a few bathroom breaks and staggered trips to retrieve snacks from the kitchen. It isn’t until shortly after midnight that Kenma notices Akaashi starting to doze off next to them, his eyes droopier than usual and his breathing slow and even.

“When do you usually go to bed?” Kenma asks him, and Akaashi turns toward them almost in slow motion, blinking sleepily at the sudden conversation.

“Mmm,” his voice trails off into silence until he seems to wake up a little bit. “Like 11:00? I usually don’t stay up too late.”

“You don’t have to stay up just because I’m still playing,” Kenma says, unwilling to look away from the barely-awake Akaashi in front of them and trying to commit every aspect of his appearance to memory. “I usually stay up a lot later than this.”  
“Oh,” Akaashi breathes, and his eyes close for a few seconds. “Then maybe I should… go to sleep, I mean.”

“Yeah,” Kenma agrees, setting aside their DS. “You can stay here if you want.”

Akaashi struggles to reopen his eyes and keep them open, but he manages to say, “Yeah… okay. Thank you, Kenma.” He closes his eyes again, and Kenma realizes with a start that Akaashi thinks they want him to sleep right here on the couch.

“No. Akaashi,” Kenma whispers, gently poking his shoulder. “Don’t fall asleep here. You can sleep on the bed in the guest bedroom.”

“Feel bad though…” he mutters, eyes still closed. “Don’t want to leave you… I came here to spent time with you.”

“You did spend time with me,” Kenma reminds him, “but you need to sleep.”

Kenma shimmies away from Akaashi, honestly a little overwhelmed by the whole _cute crush falling asleep on them_ thing. They have to figure out how to get Akaashi to a fucking _bed_ , and they know for a fact that they could not carry him if the situation called for it.

“Go wait in the guestroom. I can get you a shirt to sleep in,” Kenma says as they climb off the couch.

As much as they would have liked to offer one of their own shirts for Akaashi to use as pajamas, they doubt any of them would actually fit him, so they go rummaging through Kuroo’s pajama drawer instead and pull out a slightly oversized long-sleeved shirt. When they walk through the living room to get to the guest room, they breathe a side of relief at the empty couch and thank God that Akaashi actually got up.

“I brought you—”

Kenma’s voice dies in their throat when they enter the guest bedroom and find Akaashi in only his dark blue boxers and binder.

“Oh,” Kenma breathes, immediately turning back around. “I’m sorry. I thought—”

“No, it’s ok,” Akaashi insists, and Kenma tentatively turns back around. “I actually… could you maybe help me? It’s hard to get out of this by myself sometimes, and I usually have Bokuto help me…”

“Oh,” Kenma says again, swallowing hard. “Okay.”

“It’s the kind that you pull right over your head so…”

Akaashi lifts his arms and Kenma helps him to struggle out of the fabric, making tiny noises of exertion as they stand on their tiptoes to tug the binder up and over his head.

“I think I’m too short for this,” Kenma comments moments before the binder is finally pulled off of Akaashi body.

“No, you did fine,” Akaashi assures. “Thank you.”

Kenma respectfully averts their gaze, but out of the corner of their eye they see him take a deep breath and wince slightly, reaching around to rub wearily at his shoulders.

“How long did you wear it for today?” Kenma asks as Akaashi takes Kuroo’s shirt from them.

“Probably too long,” Akaashi admits honestly, pulling the shirt over his head.

Kenma looks away again out of politeness and tries to think of what to say. They won’t lecture Akaashi for wearing his binder for too long; he already knows. Before Kenma can think of a good reply, Akaashi is already crawling into the bed, sighing as soon as his head hits the pillow. His eyes flicker closed almost immediately but he asks, “You’re not planning on sleeping on the couch, are you?”

“Ah,” Kenma pushes their hair out of their eyes. “I usually fall asleep playing my DS or playing games on my phone so… I’ll fall asleep wherever I end up, I guess.”

“Hmm,” Akaashi trails off, completely motionless in the bed, and it almost looks like he’s already asleep. “Come play in here then. At least you’ll fall asleep on a bed.”

Kenma fights the urge to remind him that they actually have a bed of their own already, thank you, but truthfully, Kenma wouldn’t mind falling asleep next to Akaashi at all. Their cheeks heat, but Akaashi still has his eyes closed, so they don’t make any effort to hide their face.

“Wouldn’t I keep you up?” they ask, searching for a reason why they shouldn’t sleep in the same bed as Akaashi tonight.

“Not at all,” Akaashi replies, voice already muddled with sleep.

“Ok.”

If Kenma’s going to sleep in a real bed tonight, they feel like they should at least be wearing proper sleep clothes, so they head straight to their room to change first, shutting the light off in the guest bedroom on their way out. They pull on an old grey t-shirt and shuck off their jeans, standing in front of the bedroom mirror, slightly embarrassed, in just a t-shirt and underwear. _It’s ok, Akaashi’s in his underwear too_ , their brain tries to reassure them, but Kenma’s not quiet sure if that’s really as comforting as it should be given their current state of pining.

By the time they grab their DS and return to the guest bedroom, Akaashi is curled onto his side with his back to the door. Careful not to wake him, Kenma steps cautiously over the floorboards, footsteps light, and crawls into bed beside his sleeping form. Akaashi’s face is relaxed, his features soft and illuminated by the dim light of Kenma’s DS, and they wonder what it would be like to scoot forward and fall asleep with their face pressed into his chest and a protective arm wrapped around their waist.

Kenma’s returns their attention to the DS in their hands and resumes playing Pokemon, sneaking brief glances over at Akaashi throughout the night until finally, early in the morning, Kenma’s eyes close out of their own accord and they slip into unconsciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

Kenma wakes the next morning to find an empty bed and their DS closed and charging in the nearest outlet. Rubbing the sleep from their eyes, they reluctantly get out of bed and use the bathroom, wondering if Akaashi already woke up and left hours ago. Their phone tells them that it’s only mid-morning, and Kenma would have usually went back to sleep, but the prospect of Akaashi leaving without saying goodbye made their chest constrict a little. Kenma shuffles toward the kitchen almost soundlessly and brushes their hair out of their face as they peek around the corner.

“Akaashi?” Kenma calls when they hear footsteps from inside, but they freeze when they step into the doorway.

Kuroo is sitting at the island in the middle of the kitchen, swinging his feet back and forth casually as he picks at the plate of scrambled eggs in front of him. Kenma’s eyes widen in slight surprise when they notice that Akaashi is at the stove, frying eggs in a pan. He looks up when his name is called and meets Kenma’s gaze. Kenma looks between the two people in front of them, immediately on edge just because of the fact that they have been in the kitchen together for who knows how long, talking about _who knows what_.

“Good morning, Kenma!” Kuroo greets cheerfully, and Kenma is honestly surprised that he’s awake this early on a Saturday in the first place.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I saved your game and plugged it in to charge it,” Akaashi tells them, redirecting his focus to his cooking. “When I woke up this morning your DS was still open, and I didn’t want it to die and have you lose all your progress.”

“That was sweet of you,” Kuroo comments and flashes a grin at Kenma.

Kenma narrows their eyes at Kuroo in suspicion. As they climb into tall chair next to Kuroo’s they try to ignore his stare as they mumble a quiet, “Thank you, Akaashi.”

“Would you like some eggs, Kenma?” Akaashi asks, his back thankfully to Kuroo and Kenma when Kuroo nudges them in the side and raises his eyebrows in question.

Kenma fights the urge to pull Kuroo aside right now and tell him that _no, they did_ not _sleep with Akaashi last night_ (though they did sleep in the same bed). They can explain everything later, once Akaashi has left.

“Sure, thank you,” they manage to reply, shoving Kuroo’s elbow away. “Kuroo, when did you get home?”

“Late last night,” he answers, resuming his normal sitting position but maintaining his smile. “I heard someone walking around out here this morning and I knew it wasn’t you—your footsteps are a lot lighter—so I came out to investigate and I found Akaashi! He offered to make me breakfast and I couldn’t refuse, so we’ve been in here talking for a while now.”

“Talking about what?” Kenma is dying to ask, but they don’t. Instead, they turn away from Kuroo to watch Akaashi cook, and they pray that Kuroo doesn’t decide to embarrass them this morning in front of Akaashi. It’s early and they don’t have the energy to deal with that. Unfortunately for Kenma though, Kuroo is being very talkative.

“So how late did you two stay up last night?” Kuroo asks casually, and Kenma can tell that the question is being directed at them and not Akaashi.

“Akaashi went to bed around midnight and I stayed up later,” Kenma answers stiffly, sending Kuroo a _look_.

Kuroo rests his chin in his hand, staring unblinkingly back at Kenma and smirking when he says, “Did you fall asleep on the couch? I didn’t see you out there this morning, and you didn’t sleep in our room last night…”

Kenma is ready to kill him.

“I slept in the guest room,” they reply, their voice low and almost threatening. They quickly change the subject in order to _end this conversation_. “So how was Bokuto?”

Kuroo takes the change in conversation in stride, already having received the answer he had wanted to hear come out of Kenma’s mouth. Allowing his eyes to wander around the room lazily, Kuroo says, “Well, Bo wasn’t feeling up to going outside so we didn’t actually go to the restaurant. We ordered takeout and watched both How to Train Your Dragon movies back to back instead.”

“Better you than me,” Akaashi says from the stove. “Bokuto tries to get me to re-watch them with him at least once a month, and he knows I hate re-watching movies. Also, he cries through almost the entirety of both of them.”

“Yeah…” Kuroo’s voice trails off. “I really should have better prepared myself for that.”

Akaashi’s shoulders start to shake in what Kenma realizes is silent laughter, and their heart does a weird sort of lurch when he brings his hand up to cover his mouth. _Why is everything he does so endearing_ , they wonder desperately as he turns around to face them, a bright smile stretching across his face.

“Even if you knew ahead of time, there’s really no way to prepare for it,” Akaashi assures him, shaking his head. “Bokuto’s a lot to handle sometimes, especially when he’s upset, but it’s okay because usually all he needs is sex to cheer him up.”

Kuroo almost chokes on his eggs, and Kenma’s not sure if the sound coming out of his mouth is mostly laughter or coughing, but there are tears in his eyes regardless. Kenma, on the other hand, is having a difficult time admitting to themself that they are embarrassed by Akaashi simply _mentioning_ sex in front of them.

“Sorry, Kuroo, I didn’t mean to make you choke,” Akaashi says, but there is amusement in his voice. He turns back around to take the pan off the stove and works on divided up the eggs onto two plates for him and Kenma.

“No, no, no,” Kuroo sputters, trying to regain composure. “It’s just… that’s _exactly_ _what happened_.”

Akaashi snorts and hands Kenma a plate of scrambled eggs before sitting down across from them.

“I’m not surprised,” Akaashi says, smiling down at his food. “Bokuto can be very predictable sometimes.”

“Yeah, apparently,” Kuroo replies, shaking his head slightly in disbelief.

“He bounces back quickly though, right?” Akaashi continues, and Kuroo doubles over in laughter again, hastily pushing away his plate so he doesn’t accidentally knock it off the counter or put his elbows in it.

“You’re killing me, Akaashi,” he wheezes, wiping his eyes, and Kenma sees that Akaashi has a proud little smile on his face. “We really need to start hanging out more because I had no idea you were _this fucking funny_.”

“You had no idea? Kuroo, I’m insulted,” he replies, but there’s still a small smile playing at his lips.

“You know what I mean,” Kuroo says, finally composing himself again as he turns to Kenma. “Though if you two keep this up, I’m sure I’ll be seeing more of you.”

Kenma ducks their head, allowing their hair to shield the developing blush on their face. They really wish Kuroo would stop being so _obvious_ in front of him. Akaashi is a lot more observant than Kuroo thinks he is, and the absolute last thing Kenma needs right now is Akaashi figuring out how they really feel about him.

“Of course,” Akaashi replies, and Kenma eyes dart over toward him involuntarily. “I’ll come over as often as Kenma will have me.”

Kuroo turns to Kenma, and he looks practically giddy. They really hope that no one is expecting them to say anything in reply because honestly, they’re not even sure what they could possibly say to that.

“Kenma loves having you over!” The words are tumbling out of Kuroo’s mouth before Kenma even considers that maybe they should say something before Kuroo has the chance to. “You’re welcome here anytime! Right Kenma?”

They wish the floor would swallow them whole. Maybe they could fake their own death? They could fall out of their chair and pretend to be unconscious for a bit. That would definitely buy them some time, and it would be a pretty good distraction. How convincing would it be though? Akaashi is pretty observant, so it might not go over very well.

“Stop, Kuroo. You’re embarrassing them,” Akaashi says, and Kenma’s not sure if this makes them more or less mortified, but it definitely makes them feel _something_. “Kozume, you’re not obligated to invite me over all the time, don’t worry. The last thing I would want to do is overwhelm you.”

“Ah,” they manage to get out, still not making eye contact with anyone and choosing instead to stare intently at the plate in front of them. “Thank you, but you’re not overwhelming me.”

“Good,” Akaashi replies, and he actually sounds a little bit relieved.

The conversation drifts away from Kenma again, and the three of them chat idly as they finish their breakfast. It isn’t until twenty minutes later that Akaashi glances at his phone to check the time and sighs.

“I have to get going,” he announces as he gets out of his chair. “I told Bokuto I would be back before lunch time.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Kenma offers, just so Kuroo can’t find an excuse to come with them.

“Bye, Akaashi!” Kuroo waves and grins widely. “Hope to see you again soon!”

“See you, Kuroo,” he replies, and Kenma follows him out of the kitchen and into the living room.

Kenma leans against the wall next to the door awkwardly, unsure of what to say as Akaashi pulls on his coat and works on fastening all of the buttons. Thankfully, Akaashi breaks the silence first and says, voice soft and a little unsure, “You should come over to my apartment sometime—only if you want to, of course.” Akaashi meets Kenma’s gaze and immediately drops it when he continues, “I like spending time with you.”

Kenma’s heart is beating alarmingly fast, but they manage to utter a quiet, “I like spending time with you too,” in response. Akaashi has finished buttoning his coat and his cheeks are a little pink, and honestly, Kenma has no idea what they’re supposed to do now. Hug him goodbye? Bokuto always hugs Kenma goodbye, but Akaashi and Kenma have never hugged before. What’s the proper goodbye protocol for someone who you’ve never hugged (but have cuddled with and slept in the same bed as) and who you have a startlingly fast-developing crush on?

“I’ll text you,” Akaashi says, and they’re both just standing there in the doorway now, unmoving and not quite sure what to do.

“Ok,” Kenma replies, taking a small step backward and waving. They almost immediately hate themselves for it.

Akaashi gets the message and respectfully turns away from Kenma. He calls out a final, “Goodbye,” as he leaves through the doorway and shuts the door behind him, and Kenma is already regretting not hugging him. Kenma slides down the wall until they are crumpled on the floor with their face in their hands, and they make an involuntary, pitiful noise. The moment they hear footsteps crossing the living room floor toward them, they bury their face even further into their hands, bringing up their knees and hiding behind them.

“That bad, huh?” Kuroo teases, sitting down next to them against the wall, close enough that their sides are pressed together.

“Was I supposed to hug him?” Kenma asks seriously, feeling a little helpless. “I don’t even think I said goodbye.”

Kuroo slings an arm around their shoulders and pulls them closer to him.

“I’m sure he didn’t mind,” Kuroo reassures, his voice low and soothing, “and you aren’t obligated to hug him if you don’t feel comfortable doing so.”

“I _would_ hug him,” Kenma insists, “but I just didn’t know if I was supposed to or not. He stood there like he was waiting for me to decide what to do. Kuroo, I don’t _know_ what I’m supposed to do.”

“Do whatever feels right.” Kuroo’s hand starts to rub between their shoulder blades in an attempt to calm them. “Who cares about what you’re ‘supposed to do’. There’s no right way to do this, Kenma. Everybody handles crushes differently, and as long as you’re not, like, rude to him or anything, you’re coping with it totally fine.”

“Don’t call it a crush. It makes it sound even more embarrassing,” Kenma whispers into their knees.

Kuroo laughs lightly and says, “Ok, what should I call it then?”

“I don’t know,” they admit, “but don’t call it that.”

“Alright,” Kuroo promises, and he leans over to press a kiss on top of Kenma’s knee.

Kenma makes a breathy laughing sound, and they pick their head up to say, “You could have kissed the top of my head. Why did you kiss my knee? That’s kind of weird, Kuroo.”

Kuroo laughs too when he replies, “Or I could just kiss your face. Wouldn’t you prefer that?”

“Mmm,” Kenma hums, pretending like they’re really thinking hard, just to piss Kuroo off. “Maybe.”

Kenma’s finding it hard not to smile at Kuroo, though, and when he leans in for a kiss, Kenma meets him halfway there. The kiss is slow and sweet, and Kenma lets themself melt into it, turning slightly so the angle doesn’t strain their neck. Kuroo is the first to pull away, and Kenma is about to kiss him again when he asks bluntly, “So, did you two really sleep together?”

“Oh my _god_ , Kuroo.” Kenma pushes him away, and Kuroo doesn’t even bother stifling his laughter. “Calm down. We literally just shared the same bed.”

“Oh?” he raises his eyebrows in interest, and his eyes are practically sparkling. “And who prompted that?”

“Please stop,” Kenma pleads, getting to their feet again. Leaning over Kuroo in what they hope is a menacing pose, they say, “No more questions or I’ll never kiss you again.”

“Ah, but that’s a lose-lose situation right there,” he replies easily. “You like my kisses.”

“Are you sure about that, or are you just making assumptions?”

Kuroo’s eyes widen, and he looks scandalized. Before he can even doubt that Kenma is lying to him for a single second, Kenma reaches down to grab his hands and pulls him up to his feet in order to plant a quick kiss on his lips.

“Kenma, you are cruel to me,” Kuroo whines, but he looks almost relieved.

“I love you,” Kenma reminds him with a smile. “Now, do you want to watch TV with me or not?”

“Yeah, ok,” he says, pressing a soft kiss to their forehead. “Go grab your DS and I’ll turn the TV on.”

 

 

 

 

 

The weekend ends like most do, entirely too soon and with little homework completed, and then Kenma is thrown headfirst back into the school week. It’s midafternoon in the beginning of the week when Kenma decides to go get lunch in the dining hall after class, and they’re hoping to maybe finish some of their homework while they eat. The dining hall usually isn’t very crowded this far into the afternoon, so Kenma hopes they can find a quiet corner somewhere with few distractions so that they can be productive. Any hope of that flies out the window as soon as they hear a familiar voicing calling their name from somewhere behind them. They turn around to find Bokuto waving enthusiastically and approaching them at an alarmingly fast pace.

“Oh, Bokuto,” Kenma says in greeting, adjusting the heavy backpack on their shoulders.

“Did you just get here?” Bokuto asks, glancing over at the table that Kenma had placed their tray down at moments before he arrived.

“Yeah,” they admit, and hesitantly add, “you can sit with me if you want.”

Bokuto’s eyes light up, and he’s grinning when he exclaims, “Yeah? Okay! Let me just grab my stuff!” Kenma watches as he runs back to the table he had been sitting at, and they realize he must have abandoned his backpack and food and left them unattended in order to come and greet Kenma. As overwhelming as Bokuto can be, Kenma can’t help but feel some level of affection for him. He’s never shown Kenma anything other than wholehearted support and kindness, and they appreciate that.

Guessing that they won’t be getting much work done after all, Kenma shoves their backpack under the table, and they are starting to eat their lunch by the time Bokuto returns.

Lunch with Bokuto is not as draining as Kenma originally thought it might be. Kenma initiates polite conversation, and they listen as Bokuto tells them about his week so far and all the homework he’s been assigned.

“I fell behind a little last week,” he admits, scratching the back of his head. “Akaashi told me to focus more on my homework and less on Pokemon, but Kenma, you _know_ how hard that is!”

“I do,” Kenma agrees. “Kuroo hid my game from me until I finished all my work for the week so that I wouldn’t get distracted.”

“Yeah, he told me about that!” Bokuto shakes his head, eyes wide and pitying. “I told him it was a little harsh, I really did. He didn’t listen to me though.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it, Bokuto.”

“Akaashi seemed to enjoy playing it with you on Friday, though.”

Kenma’s eyes snap up to Bokuto’s at the sudden change in direction of the conversation, and they reposition themself in their seat before replying, “Yeah, it was fun.” Bokuto is done eating now, and he’s sitting with his chin resting in his hand, staring intently at Kenma.

“When do you think you’ll hang out again?” Bokuto presses eagerly, gaze piercing.

“Uh, I’m not sure.”

_God, he’s almost as bad as Kuroo_ , Kenma thinks, dropping their gaze to the table again.

“Hopefully soon!” Bokuto enthuses, chin now out of his hands and his body leaning forward across the table. “Akaashi really likes spending time with you, and I think you’re good for him!”

“Good… for him?” Kenma repeats slowly, narrowing their eyes as they assess Bokuto’s expression.

“Yeah! You two are very compatible,” he insists.

He’s definitely been talking to Kuroo about this. Yeah, Kuroo admitted before that they like to talk about the prospect of Kenma and Akaashi dating, but Kenma had trouble actually believing it until now. With this information finally sinking in, Kenma shoves their hands deep into their jacket pockets and contemplates making a run for it.

“What do you think?” Bokuto continues, and Kenma has a very strong feeling that whatever they say in response will be relayed to _at least_ Kuroo and Akaashi.

“About what?” Kenma asks, trying to buy themself some time.

“About Akaashi,” Bokuto clarifies, eyes shining with interest as he awaits Kenma’s response.

“Akaashi’s nice,” they say automatically, pulling out their phone and scrolling mindlessly through their recent texts just to have something to do with their hands and to give them a valid reason not to make eye contact with Bokuto right now.

“Just nice? Of course Akaashi is nice! What else?” Bokuto almost slams his hands down on the table, and Kenma feels like he’s about to pounce on them if they don’t give him a real answer soon.

“What else do you want me to say Bokuto?” Kenma’s voice sounds tired, and they don’t look up from their phone when they say, “Yes, I like spending time with him and I think he’s great, but I know you’re just going to tell him exactly what I say anyway, so what’s the point of saying it to you?”

“I’m not going to tell Akaashi any of this!” Bokuto exclaims. Kenma glances up to meet his eyes, but Bokuto’s not looking at them. He’s definitely lying.

“I doubt that,” Kenma says bluntly. “And even if you don’t tell Akaashi, you’ll definitely tell Kuroo.”

Bokuto crosses his arms across his chest and sticks his bottom lip out in a pout. Kenma thinks he looks like he’s five years old.

“Ok, whatever, I’ll stop,” he concedes, still not looking at them, “but I just wanted you to say nice things about Akaashi so I could use them to cheer him up!”

“Cheer him up?” Kenma blurts, completely ignoring (but not overlooking) the fact that Bokuto admitted he is, in fact, planning on telling Akaashi everything Kenma says.

“Yeah, he’s been a little bit off this week,” Bokuto confesses, and his voice suddenly sounds sad and resigned. “He’s been overthinking things, I think. He gets into his own head a lot, and I never really know what to do when he does. It’s hard to even get him to listen to me.”

“Oh,” Kenma breathes, not liking the direction this conversation is turning, even if it is moving away from Kenma’s own feelings about Akaashi. “I’ll talk to him.”

“Yeah?” Bokuto asks, and he looks very hopeful.

“Yeah,” Kenma promises. “I don’t know if it’ll really help much, but I’ll send him a text.”

“No, trust, me. It’ll probably help a lot more than you think,” Bokuto tells them, nodding his head seriously. “Thank you, Kenma.”  
“It’s really no problem,” they say. “You should have told me that something was wrong sooner.”

“I will next time,” he vows, eyes determined.

“Is he in class right now?” Kenma asks, pulling out their phone to check the time. “It’s almost 4:00.”

“Yeah, he’s still in class for another half hour,” Bokuto replies immediately, and Kenma admires the fact that he knows Akaashi’s entire schedule by heart. Even Kenma struggles to remember where Kuroo is during some parts of the day. “After class he’ll either come straight home or go to the library to do homework.”

“You should go home and wait there for a while,” Kenma advises, “just in case he goes straight home. Then you can be with him and talk to him sooner. I’ll start texting him as soon as I get out of here.”

“Kenma, you’re a really good friend.” Bokuto looks like he might start crying at any moment, and his eyes are so honest that Kenma finds it hard to stare at them directly.

“I just don’t like it when the people I care about are upset,” they say quietly, shrugging. “Thank you for eating lunch with me, Bokuto, but I’m going to head back home now and you should too.”

“Ok, yeah, I’ll do that. Thanks for letting me eat with you today.”

When they both stand up, Bokuto pulls them into a swift hug, and he holds on for a little longer than usual.

“Let’s both do our best to cheer our Akaashi up, ok?” he whispers into Kenma’s ear.

“Yeah,” Kenma agrees, but their heart is still pounding from hearing the words “our Akaashi” come out of Bokuto’s mouth.

They part ways outside of the building, and Kenma waves to Bokuto one final time before pulling out their phone and immediately opening their messages with Akaashi. They’re not exactly sure what to send them. Would it be a bad idea to jump right into it and acknowledge that he isn’t doing well? Akaashi would know for sure that Bokuto had told them about it then. Should they pretend like they know absolutely nothing and send him a casual text instead?

While they walk back to their apartment, staring intently down at their phone screen and hoping that the exact words they need to say will suddenly come to them, their phone vibrates. They almost drop it in surprise, and after seeing that the message isn’t from Akaashi, they go back to view all their recent messages and are surprised to find that Bokuto has sent them a text.

 

**Bokuto (4:00 PM)** i’m glad Akaashi has you too

 

Kenma flushes and returns to Akaashi’s messages again, unsure of how to respond to Bokuto, but the message makes them feel unexpectedly warm inside. Suddenly, they feel inspired enough to start drafting a message to Akaashi. Honesty is important, and they shouldn’t lie to him about what they know, especially if Akaashi is already upset.

 

**Kenma (4:03 PM)** hi. bokuto told me that you are feeling down this week, and i was wondering if there’s anything i could do?

 

They open up one of the games on their phone and start playing it as they walk, but their mind is racing and they end up exiting out of the app within minutes to send a second message to Akaashi.

 

**Kenma (4:07 PM)** bokuto didn’t tell me any details, don’t worry. he just said that you needed cheering up and that you were getting inside your own head a little.

 

Kenma’s bare fingers are frigid in the cold, and they desperately wish they had brought gloves today. They type their next message as quickly as possible with numb fingers.

 

**Kenma (4:08 PM)** i’m always here if you want to talk. i think we’re very similar in the fact that we both tend to overthink things, so i understand how it feels when you start to doubt everything.

 

They’re on the verge of over-sharing, so they shove their phone back into their pocket before they can send another text and embarrass themself further. Maybe Akaashi won’t even respond to the texts. It’s possible that he’s not in a good enough place mentally to even bring himself to respond. Kenma frowns, shoving their freezing hands into their pockets and toughing out the biting cold for the remaining five minutes of their walk.

They could cry in relief when they finally make it through their doorway, and they’re almost reluctant to even take off their jacket. Kenma is still freezing as they slowly unzip their coat with shaking fingers and kick their boots off to the side of the doorway. Shivering, Kenma heads directly to the bedroom, phone in hand, in search of the warmest blanket they can find.

“You look warm,” Kuroo teases as they enter the room and immediately start rooting through the pile of blankets at the bottom of the closet.

“I’m dying,” Kenma tells him as they get to the bottom of the pile and realize that no blanket is going to be as warm as the comforter on their bed.

Kuroo is under the covers already, lying on his back with his organic chemistry textbook propped up on his chest. Kenma climbs into bed next to him and buries themself under the covers entirely, not even poking their head out. They compulsively check their phone again to see if Akaashi has texted them back yet. He hasn’t.

“Kenma, you’re going to suffocate under there,” Kuroo laughs, grabbing the edge of the blanket and trying to pull it back to reveal their face. Kenma doesn’t let him.

“No, I won’t,” Kenma insists, shimmying even further under the covers and draping their free arm across Kuroo’s stomach.

They lay together quietly for about five minutes, Kenma on their phone and Kuroo slowly flipping through the pages of his textbook, and then Kenma is crawling back up toward the edge of the covers and pulling them away from their face.

“It’s so stuffy under there,” they sniff, letting their head rest on Kuroo’s pillow and curling up beside him.

“Told you so,” Kuroo says offhandedly as he continues to read.

Kenma pulls out their phone again, only to almost drop it directly onto their face in shock when they notice a new text from Akaashi. Kuroo is raising his eyebrows at them, but they don’t care. When they catch him peaking over their shoulder at their phone, though, Kenma scoots away a little and says, “Don’t look. Akaashi is having a bad day.”

“Ah,” Kuroo says, quickly diverting his gaze and returning his eyes to his textbook. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

Kenma unlocks their phone with trembling fingers, and really, they don’t know why they’re so anxious about this. They suppose they’re just really worried, especially because Akaashi is so similar to them in a lot of ways. The entire situation is frighteningly familiar to them.

 

**Akaashi (4:26 PM)** sorry, I was in class.

 

The messaging app tells Kenma that he’s currently typing out another message, and they snuggle back up against Kuroo as they wait, staring blankly at the screen. They really wish their heart would stop beating so fast, and they hope Kuroo doesn’t notice. He doesn’t say anything if he does.

When Akaashi’s next text pops up on the screen, Kenma’s grip on their phone tightens and they quickly read the message.

 

**Akaashi (4:28 PM)** don’t worry about me. I will be fine and I don’t want to inconvenience you. thank you for the messages though.

 

Kenma’s stomach drops as they reread the message again, and they can’t ignore the fact that this is eerily similar to how Kenma acts when something is very wrong: avoidant, dismissive, and obviously closed off. Despite Akaashi’s words, Kenma decides to do what they would want if they were in Akaashi’s position, and they text him again.

 

**Kenma (4:30 PM)** akaashi, i’m serious. you’re not inconveniencing me at all.

**Kenma (4:31 PM)** if you don’t want to tell me what’s bothering you, that’s fine, but i don’t want you to pretend like nothing is wrong and try to downplay whatever you’re feeling.

 

After a couple more minutes pass and Akaashi still doesn’t respond to Kenma’s texts, they lock their phone and roll over to groan into Kuroo’s shoulder.

“I don’t know how you deal with me when I’m like this,” they tell him, and Kuroo lets his textbook lay flat on his stomach, indicating to Kenma that he’s listening. “I don’t know what to do. What can I say to him? I know something’s wrong, but he’s not telling me _what_ and that’s fine, but I don’t even know how to help him. I barely know what to do around him anyway, let alone when all this, whatever it is, is going on.”

“Mmm, it can be difficult,” Kuroo admits, reaching over to stroke their arm reassuringly. “But you have to keep offering your support, and you have to be patient with him. Think about what you would want if you were in his position right now.”

“That’s what I’m doing,” Kenma sighs, gripping their phone tighter. “I just don’t know if that’s the right thing to do. We’re similar, but we’re different people, Kuroo.”

“True, but it can’t hurt to try,” Kuroo says softly, and just as he turns to kiss Kenma’s forehead, Kenma’s phone buzzes in their hands, causing their head to jerk up and bump Kuroo in the chin.

“Sorry, sorry,” Kenma says hastily as they unlock their phone.

“It’s fine,” Kuroo assures them, picking his textbook back up and giving Kenma privacy as they open up their messages.

 

**Akaashi (4:39 PM)** I don’t really know how to talk to people about these kinds of things

**Kenma (4:40 PM)** what kinds of things?

 

Kenma’s phone buzzes just as they are locking it again, and they scramble to open their messages back up.

 

**Akaashi (4:40 PM)** self doubt

 

Kenma inhales shakily and chances a quick glance at Kuroo before replying. This is really, _really_ familiar now.

 

**Kenma (4:41 PM)** are you with anyone?

**Akaashi (4:42 PM)** I’m at the library but I don’t think I can actually get any work done

**Kenma (4:42 PM)** do you want me to come? we don’t even have to talk if you don’t want to. i can just sit there with you

**Akaashi (4:44 PM)** are you sure? don’t you have homework to do?

**Kenma (4:45 PM)** i’ll bring my homework with me

**Akaashi (4:47 PM)** ok

**Kenma (4:47 PM)** ok i’m leaving now. where are you?

**Akaashi (4:48 PM)** basement floor in the far right corner

**Kenma (4:49 PM)** i’ll be there soon

 

“I have to go,” Kenma tells Kuroo, pulling out of his grasp and getting out of bed. “Can you text Bokuto and tell him that Akaashi is in the library and that I’m going there to meet him?”

“Sure, I’ll text him right now,” Kuroo says, taking out his phone.

“I don’t know when I’ll be back, but I’ll let you know.”

“Alright, just be careful walking there, and give Akaashi my love if the situation calls for it.”

“I will,” they promise, leaning down to kiss him briefly before leaving the room.

It takes them about fifteen minutes to walk from their apartment to the library, but the journey is slightly more bearable than the last one, mostly due to the fact that Kenma remembers their gloves this time and the fact that they’re walking a lot faster. The basement floor of the library is unanimously deemed the quietest floor, but few people actually go down there in the wintertime considering how cold it usually is. Kenma doesn’t think they even have heating in the basement at all.

When Kenma reaches the bottom of the stairs, they unzip their jacket but refuse to take it off, and their eyes scan the room briefly. There are only a couple people down here that Kenma can see, but none of them are Akaashi. He said that he’d be in the far right corner, so Kenma crosses the large room uncertainly, peering into the area in question until, in the small, dimly lit section of the basement beneath the broken overhead light that still hasn’t gotten repaired, Kenma spots him.

Akaashi is hunched over the table, eyes glued to his phone and his backpack sitting unopened on top of the table next to him. He doesn’t look up until Kenma is standing right in front of him and whispering a hesitant, “Hi.”

“Oh,” Akaashi says in surprise, head snapping up. “Hi.”

He’s looking away now, pointedly not looking at Kenma, and Kenma shifts the weight of their backpack onto their other shoulder as they ask, “Can I sit here?”

Akaashi snorts and says quietly, “You act like we didn’t just agree to meet here.”

“You’re one to talk,” Kenma retorts as they sit down across from him, putting their backpack on the neighboring chair.

Now that Kenma’s here and sitting across from Akaashi in this cold, dingy section of the library, they’re completely at a loss for what to say, and they try their best not to fidget as Akaashi stares intently at the space between them on the table.

“You didn’t have to come.” His voice is quiet and unsure, and Kenma hates it.

“I wanted to,” they say, leaning forward in hopes that he’ll finally meet their gaze.

Akaashi doesn’t say anything for a while, and Kenma takes this as their cue to unzip their backpack and retrieve their homework. After realizing what Kenma’s doing, Akaashi does the same, but when Kenma starts to write, silently working their way through linear algebra problems, Akaashi doesn’t even pick up his pencil. They both carry on like this for at least fifteen minutes until Akaashi breaks the silence between them.

“Kenma?” Kenma’s head snaps up instantly, and Akaashi’s finally looking at them directly. “I’m sorry. I actually… do you think we could go back to my apartment instead?”

“Yeah, sure,” Kenma replies without hesitation. “Will Bokuto be there too?”

“He’s probably leaving for class again right now,” Akaashi says. “He has his biodiversity course in the late afternoons.”

Kenma nods, closing their notebook and stuffing their homework back into their backpack as Akaashi does the same from across the table. Thankfully, Bokuto and Akaashi’s apartment is a lot closer to the library than Kuroo and Kenma’s, so they arrive at his doorstep only five minutes later. Akaashi offers to take their coat, and Kenma thanks him as they look around the apartment curiously. As long as they’ve known Bokuto and Akaashi, they’ve never actually had a reason to come inside their apartment before. It’s cute; it’s a little smaller than their own, but it looks a lot homier than theirs. There are a couple colorful paintings hanging up in the living room, and Kenma wonders if one of them made them or if they were done by some unknown artist. There also appears to be some kind of plant in every corner of the house, and Kenma finds this to be incredibly intriguing. They’ll ask Akaashi about them later.

Akaashi crosses the room and collapses onto the couch with a heavy sigh, letting his head fall back and his eyes close. Kenma hesitantly sits down next to him, unsure of what to say. _What would they want if they were in this situation?_ Kenma swallows hard as they watch Akaashi’s face, features stiff and unmoving as he sits there, and Kenma takes a deep breath before leaning over and wrapping their arms around Akaashi. Akaashi stiffens immediately and Kenma has to tell themself not to pull away unless Akaashi explicitly tells them to. _Give him a chance to figure out what he wants and what he’s ok with_.

“Is this ok?” they ask, face pressed into Akaashi’s chest and arms wrapped loosely around his torso.

“Yeah.” His voice breaks a little on the word, and Kenma squeezes him tighter.

Neither of them moves for a long while, not until Akaashi’s hand finds its way into Kenma hair. Kenma hums contentedly into his chest, starting to trace their fingers lightly across the fabric of his shirt.

“I like that I don’t always feel obligated to say something when I’m around you,” Akaashi confesses, hand trailing out of their hair and down the back of their neck for a moment before returning to the top of their head.

“Me too,” Kenma whispers back. They know they’re slipping into over-sharing territory again, but they don’t feel inclined to stop talking. “You make me feel safe.”

“I do?” Akaashi sounds surprised, and Kenma nods their head against his chest.

“You do,” they verify. “Maybe because we’re kind of similar in a lot of ways.”

“Mmm… that makes sense.” Akaashi’s hand stills, and Kenma pushes their head into his hand, wishing he would play with their hair forever. “You’re like a big cat,” Akaashi says, amused, as he starts to pet their hair again, and Kenma smiles.

“Maybe I am,” they say in response, and Akaashi laughs lightly. “If I’m a cat then what are you? I’m not sure if you’re as owlish as Bokuto…”

“Is anyone as owlish as Bokuto though?” he asks.

“Probably not,” Kenma admits and shifts their head on his chest to glance up at his face. “Hi,” they whisper when they see he’s looking right at them.

“Hi,” he echoes, a smile on his face.

“Are you feeling better?” Kenma asks, blinking up at him slowly, captivated by the closeness of his face.

“Yeah, a little bit.” Akaashi’s gaze is unwavering. “It’s easy to feel alone and start doubting everything sometimes.”

Kenma hums in agreement, lips parting slightly in surprise as Akaashi gently brushes the hair out of their face and continues to trail his fingers over their scalp, past their ear and down the back of their neck. Kenma shivers involuntarily, and Akaashi repeats the motion.

“You’re not alone,” Kenma promises, voice wavering slightly. “And you never have to doubt yourself or how others feel about you.”

“What if I’m not sure how others feel about me?” His words are slow and his eyes are locked onto Kenma’s and _fuck, maybe their faces are a little too close after all_.

“Then ask them.” Kenma’s voice is barely a whisper.

Akaashi’s hand lingers in their hair for a moment before lightly tracing the shell of their ear, and Kenma’s breath catches in their throat. They try their best to maintain eye contact, to make sure Akaashi knows they are being sincere, but when they see Akaashi’s lips part, just out of their line of vision, Kenma’s gaze drops down to his lips for a fleeting second. They’re not entirely sure if they’re still breathing.

The front door suddenly swings open, and both Kenma and Akaashi whip their heads around immediately to find Bokuto standing in the doorway, eyes wide and flickering rapidly between them and the door as if asking whether or not he should turn back around right now and give them privacy. Kenma rolls their eyes from where they’re sitting.

“Hi, Bokuto,” they call, and their voice sounds a lot more exasperated than they thought it would.

At the sound of Kenma’s voice, Akaashi drops his hand from Kenma’s hair and leans away from them on the couch. Bokuto steps further into the room, almost uncertainly, and closes the door quietly behind him like he’s intruding on a delicate situation.

“Why are you home? Don’t you have class?” Akaashi doesn’t sound exasperated like Kenma; he just sounds _tired_.

“Ah, yeah, technically,” Bokuto laughs awkwardly and licks his lips. “I decided to skip today though, so I went out and bought some snacks.” He meekly holds up two plastic bags that he had been hiding behind his back, and he nods toward what Kenma assumes is the kitchen. “I’ll go put these away.”

“Good idea,” Akaashi mumbles.

They both sit on the couch, unmoving, and Kenma almost feels like they’re in a state of shock. Had Akaashi been about to kiss them? Had they been about to kiss Akaashi? What would have happened if Bokuto hadn’t come through the front door just then? Kenma pictures Bokuto in the kitchen now, frantically texting Kuroo, and Kenma almost groans out loud. Then, to their right they see Bokuto peek around the corner from the kitchen and quickly duck his head back inside as soon as he sees Kenma watching him. They wonder about the prospect of spontaneous human combustion and the likelihood that it happens to them right now. God, they don’t even want to _look_ at Akaashi.

“I should probably get going and start working on my homework,” Kenma says in one big breath, staring intently at their hands.

There’s a beat of silence, and then Akaashi says, “Of course.” They both get up off the couch slowly, and Kenma thinks of what to say as they put on their jacket and gloves.

“You have to promise you’ll text me if you start feeling bad again,” Kenma manages to get out, looking up to meet his eyes for the first time.

“I will,” he agrees, nodding his head. “But that goes for you too, Kenma. You know… in the future.”

“Okay,” they say softly, and then Akaashi is advancing toward them to pull them into a tight hug.

Akaashi’s arms are draped over their shoulders, and Kenma slowly wraps their own arms around Akaashi’s waist in reciprocation. _So hugs_ are _okay now,_ Kenma thinks.

The entire walk back to their apartment, Kenma can’t stop thinking about what happened on the couch. Would they really have kissed if there had been no interruption? Their faces had been so close, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. Akaashi hadn’t technically shown any indication that he was going to kiss Kenma. They had been the one staring at the other’s lips, not Akaashi. Kenma hates this uncertainty, this ambiguity, and they really hope that whatever happened or what might have almost happened doesn’t negatively affect Akaashi’s state of mind.

When they arrive at home, they set up their homework on the coffee table in the living room, and they sit on the floor, trying to work out math problems with the TV on low volume in the background. Kuroo joins them and doesn’t say anything besides, “Is Akaashi feeling better?” to which Kenma replies, “I hope so.” There’s no way Kuroo doesn’t already know what Bokuto walked in on, but Kenma is eternally grateful that Kuroo doesn’t bring it up. Kuroo is a great boyfriend, and Kenma doesn’t know what they’d do without him.


	4. Chapter 4

Kenma doesn’t see Akaashi for the rest of the week, which really isn’t surprising at all because they usually never run into each other on campus, but they don’t send each other any messages either. Kenma rationalizes that the two of them don’t text too frequently anyway, as they only recently got each other’s number, but Kenma still feels slightly on edge about the whole Akaashi thing and can’t stop replaying the scene on the couch over in their head. It isn’t until the very end of the week that anyone brings up Akaashi at all.

Kuroo is watching TV on the couch Friday evening after class, and Kenma is curled up against him, already about halfway through Pokemon Moon and concentrating hard on a gym battle when Kuroo breaks the silence.

“So Kenma,” he begins, slinging an arm around their shoulders and snuggling closer to them on the couch.

Kenma narrows their eyes slightly, immediately suspicious, and shifts to angle themself away from Kuroo, eyes focused on the DS in their hands. They don’t say anything, knowing Kuroo will fill the silence again without waiting for a reply.

“Bokuto and I were talking,” Kuroo continues.

 _Well that’s never good_ , Kenma thinks, frowning slightly. They can tell exactly where this conversation is heading already.

“And we thought it’d be fun if we all went out for drinks tonight!” Kuroo squeezes Kenma’s shoulder. “You, me, Bokuto, Akaashi… what do you think?”

Kenma hums noncommittally, refusing to redirect their gaze from their game, and they hear Kuroo sigh dramatically as he drapes himself onto their shoulder, mouth buried in the crook of their neck.

“Kenma, it’ll be really fun,” he promises, his voice slightly muffled. “We haven’t all gone out together in so long, and I kind of miss it.”

Slightly exasperated, Kenma finally turns toward Kuroo, and Kuroo picks his head up off their shoulder to meet their gaze.

“Stop trying to guilt me into going,” Kenma says, eyes narrowed and accusatory. “You know I don’t like going to clubs, and I know what you’re trying to pull here, but it’s not going to work.”

Kuroo doesn’t even bother trying to hide his grin as he raises an eyebrow at Kenma and asks, “What do you think I’m trying pull, Kenma?”

“Shut up. I’m not going.”

As Kenma turns away from Kuroo, they see his face fall and his smile disappear before his arms are wrapping around Kenma and pulling them toward him so that they’re practically sitting in his lap. Kenma makes a loud, startled noise, and their cheeks flame immediately in embarrassment as Kuroo pulls them closer until their chest is right against Kuroo’s.

“Kenma,” Kuroo whines, reaching up with both hands to hold their face directly in front of his. “Please come. It won’t be the same without you, and if you feel uncomfortable at all, I promise we can leave right away.”

Kenma closes their eyes and sighs quietly as their resolve begins to crumble. They dip their head forward slightly so that their forehead rests against Kuroo’s, and they whisper, “Ok, fine.” Kuroo’s lips are immediately on theirs and even without opening their eyes, Kenma can tell that he’s smiling. Kenma kisses him back.

“Let me get ready, then,” Kenma tells him after they pull away from the kiss.

“Okay,” Kuroo agrees. “I wanna finish watching this episode first, but then I’ll start getting ready too.”

Kenma climbs out of his lap and heads straight to the bedroom, sitting down on the edge of the bed as they think of what to wear. They can’t suppress the feeling inside them saying _this is it, this is when you finally make a move on Akaashi_ , and that adds a whole other layer of pressure to choosing an outfit. Without a doubt though, Kenma wants to make an impression. They want Akaashi to see them and know that they’re dressing for him. They wring their hands in their lap anxiously, wondering how they can possibly accomplish this without drawing too much attention to themself.

Rising from the bed and heading toward the bathroom, Kenma tries to suppress the worry building up inside them, and, hesitating for only a moment, they decide to do what feels right. Kenma reaches into the cupboard beneath the sink and pulls out their rarely opened makeup bag. An overwhelming surge of _rightness_ hits them as they pull out a container of gold eyeliner and a tube of mascara. Kenma very rarely wears makeup; it usually makes them too nervous, and they always feel like everyone is staring at them whenever they wear even a little. They like how it makes them look, though, and sometimes Kenma spends lazy afternoons perched up on the bathroom sink, experimenting with eyeshadow and subtle shades of pink lipstick.

Hand shaking slightly, Kenma leans toward the mirror and begins to apply the gold eyeliner as best they can. Once they have completed their second eye, they lean back to assess their work from different angles, and the small smile that spreads across their face is completely involuntary. Their eyeliner actually looks pretty good. Kenma applies mascara to their eyelashes with ease and decides that this is really all they need. It draws attention to their face, and the gold of the eyeliner makes Kenma’s yellow eyes appear even more piercing than usual.

After packing up their makeup bag, Kenma returns to the bedroom, hesitating in front of their dresser. They already have an outfit in mind, something they’ve never actually worn before, and they know this would be the perfect occasion to finally wear it, but they can barely picture themself even leaving the house with it on. They decide to try it on regardless, genuinely curious to how it would look on them with the makeup.

Kenma opens the bottom drawer and has to root through several layers of clothing before they finally reach the matching crop top and skirt, both in a pretty, pale pink color. They hold the outfit up into the light and try to calm their racing heart. Slowly, Kenma changes out of their regular clothes and puts on their new outfit, watching themself in the mirror as they do so. After they’ve finally shimmied into their skirt, they swallow hard at their reflection, eyes scanning their body up and down repeatedly until they have to look away.

“Do you know what you’re wearing yet?” they hear Kuroo call from somewhere outside the door, and then he’s walking into the room and almost tripping right over the corner of the bed. “Holy _fuck_ , Kenma, are you kidding me?”

“What?” they ask, looking away in embarrassment.

“You’re wearing this?” Kuroo asks in awe, stepping closer to put both his hands on Kenma’s shoulders as he admires them from up close. “ _This_ is what you’re wearing to impress Akaashi?” Kuroo runs a hand through his hair and laughs almost maniacally. “Oh god, Kenma, you might actually kill me.”

“I’m not wearing this to impress Akaashi,” they blatantly lie, folding their arms across their chest.

“Uh huh,” Kuroo says, unimpressed. “And I don’t want to fuck you at all right now.”

“ _Kuroo_ ,” Kenma whines, covering their face with their hands and backing away from him.

“Kenma, have you _seen_ yourself?” Kuroo is shaking his head in disbelief as he takes a step forward and wraps his arms around Kenma’s waist. “Please promise me you’ll wear this again someday when it’s just us two together, okay? I need to fully appreciate this outfit on you.”

“You’re so embarrassing,” Kenma groans, knocking their forehead against his chest gently. “Fine, I’ll wear it for you soon, but tonight can’t be that night.”

“Because it’s for Akaashi,” Kuroo teases again, and Kenma scowls at him. “Just admit it and— wait, are you wearing makeup too?”

Kenma ducks their head again and mutters a quiet, “Yeah.” Kuroo takes a deep breath to calm himself before cupping the side of Kenma’s face and lifting their chin up so that they’re looking him in the eye.

“Can I at least kiss you right now?” he asks hopefully, and Kenma can’t help but laugh.

“Why wouldn’t you be able to?” they ask, amused. “I’d be a little insulted if you didn’t, to be honest.”

Kuroo’s lips are on theirs immediately, and Kenma’s hands eagerly wrap themselves around his waist in response. The kiss is hungry and desperate, and Kenma finds themself making quiet, breathy noises into the kiss as Kuroo’s hands trail along the bare patch of skin between their crop top and skirt.

“Kuroo,” they breathe, pushing him away. “We have to meet Bokuto and Akaashi.”

Kuroo’s eyelids are heavy and he’s breathing hard, so it takes a moment for Kenma’s words to actually sink in for him.

“Oh, yeah,” he says a moment later, still unable to take his eyes off of Kenma. “I told them we’d be there soon.”

Kenma swallows and says, “Ok, no more kissing then. Too distracting.”

“Too distracting,” Kuroo agrees, licking his lips subconsciously.

“You have to get dressed,” Kenma reminds him, lifting an eyebrow, and Kuroo lets out a sudden, “Oh, right!” in surprise before he starts looking for something to wear.

Kenma sits on the edge of the bed, and while they wait for Kuroo to choose an outfit, they send a quick text to Akaashi.

 

 **Kenma (7:31 PM)** we’ll be there in 25 minutes. kuroo is just picking out an outfit.

 **Akaashi (7:32 PM)** we will plan accordingly. thank you for letting me know

 

Not quite liking the formality of their texts and wanting to set the tone for the evening, Kenma decides to send him another message.

 

 **Kenma (7:33 PM)** i’m excited to see you

 

They lock their phone immediately after sending the text, and their leg starts jittering up and down automatically without Kenma’s permission. They’re not used to being this forward, but it’s kind of thrilling, both in a good way and an anxiety-inducing kind of way. Kenma’s phone vibrates after a few minutes, and they hold their breath as they go to view their messages.

 

 **Akaashi (7:36 PM)** I can’t wait :)

 

Kenma bows their head and smiles.

 

 

 

 

 

“Hey, hey, hey!”

The familiar booming voice from behind them carries even over the loud music of the club, and Kenma swivels around on their stool at the bar to face the approaching pair. Bokuto is walking toward them at an alarmingly fast pace, Akaashi’s hand clasped tightly in his as he is practically dragged through the crowd.

“Slow _down_ , Bokuto-san,” Kenma reads from Akaashi’s lips, and Kenma has to turn away to hide the sudden laughter that bubbles up inside them.

When Kenma turns to face forward again, Bokuto is letting go of Akaashi’s hand and practically throwing himself forward at Kuroo—wait, not at Kuroo. At _Kenma_. Kenma barely has time to brace themself for impact before Bokuto is wrapping them up in a tight hug, lifting them up and off of their stool and higher into the air than Kenma expects him to. After a few seconds of having the air squeezed out of their lungs and enduring Kuroo’s obnoxious laughter from behind them, Kenma hears Akaashi’s calm and rational, “That’s enough, Bokuto-san. Please put Kenma down,” and Kenma thanks every god out there for Akaashi.

“Sorry, sorry!” Bokuto says hurriedly as he loosens his grip and places Kenma back down on their stool. “I’m just excited that you actually decided to come!” His eyes flicker down to Kenma’s outfit for the first time and his jaw falls open comically. “And _look at you_.”

“Yeah,” Kenma says with a shrug, gaze falling to the floor.

Behind them, Kuroo gets up from his stool to pull Bokuto into a long, lingering kiss, and Kenma finally raises their eyes to look at Akaashi. Akaashi is staring at them intently, eyes focused somewhere around Kenma’s midriff, and Kenma’s cheeks heat immediately. There’s a long moment before Akaashi finally tears his gaze away from Kenma’s stomach and looks up at their face, and his intense gaze slowly melts into a small smile instead when he sees Kenma watching him back. He sits down in the seat next to Kenma’s, scooting closer so that their voices can be heard easily over the music.

“I don’t think they could keep their hands to themselves for one second if they tried,” Akaashi comments, and Kenma has absolutely no idea what he’s talking about until he nods toward the couple next to them.

Kenma turns their head and immediately wrinkles their nose. Kuroo’s hands have worked their way into the back pockets of Bokuto’s jeans, and Bokuto is leaning close to Kuroo, whispering something into his ear that is causing Kuroo to grin devilishly.

“Gross,” Kenma says and looks back at Akaashi just in time to see him laugh, his eyes crinkling endearingly and his body falling forward slightly.

Kenma’s throat suddenly feels dry, and they lick their lips instinctively as they reach for their almost-forgotten drink and take another sip. This is already their second drink; by the time they arrived at the club with Kuroo earlier, Kenma had already worked themself into a frenzy throughout the entire walk there, and they needed something to calm them down _fast_ , so they ordered two drinks at once and started drinking right away, much to Kuroo’s amusement. They can already feel the alcohol working in their system, and while it does help to relax them a little, it also makes them a lot more vocal and unpredictable than usual.

When Akaashi’s first drink has arrived and Bokuto and Kuroo have paused their obnoxious display of flirting long enough to order drinks of their own, the group migrates to a table in the corner of the club where they can all sit down together. Kenma breathes a small sigh of relief when Kuroo pulls Kenma down into the booth to sit next to him, and, felling decidedly better than when they first arrived, Kenma nuzzles into Kuroo’s side until he wraps an arm around their waist.

“How many have you had, Kenma?” Kuroo asks, grinning down at them.

Kenma shoots Kuroo a _look_ before redirecting their gaze across the table as they answer, “Just two. I told you, I’m not planning on getting drunk.”

Kuroo hums, and Kenma can feel his chest vibrate beneath their cheek.

“I know,” Kuroo tells them. “I’m just happy that Tipsy Kenma is arriving this early in the night.”

Kenma snorts quietly and chastises, “Don’t act like I’m an entirely different person when I drink.”

“But you are!” Bokuto suddenly insists from across the table, and Kenma shoots a glare at him. “Tipsy Kenma is the best Kenma.”

“And the cuddliest,” Kuroo adds, tightening his grip on Kenma’s waist.

“And the funniest,” Bokuto continues. “Do you remember that time the three of us went to the kinda sketchy bar on the other side of town and that creepy guy was really into Kenma?”

Kuroo snorts loudly, and Kenma leans away from Kuroo to hide their face in their hands. They make a loud, strangled noise, only slightly muffled by their hands, and Bokuto and Kuroo break into loud laughter. Kenma peeks through their fingers just in time to see the curious gaze Akaashi is sending them. He elbows Bokuto in the side and demands, “What?”

“Oh boy,” Bokuto manages to get out, stifling his laughter with his hand, but every time he looks back at Kenma and sees them still hiding their face, he starts laughing again.

“Basically,” Kuroo cuts in, slightly more composed but still grinning as he leans across the table toward Akaashi, “this guy was sitting at the table next to us and kept sending Kenma these fucking _looks_ , which they straight up ignored, and then he ended up coming to our table and all while my arm was still around Kenma, mind you, started chatting them up right in front of all of us. And man, I don’t even remember what he was saying, but Kenma was just giving him the most _disgusted_ look, so you think he would have gotten the hint, but then… oh god… what exactly did they say, Bo?”

He’s laughing uncontrollably again, and Bokuto leans toward him with a grin, his eyes gleaming as he looks over at Kenma.

“So the guy gets real close to Kenma,” Bokuto picks up where Kuroo left off, practically vibrating in his seat in anticipation of what he’s about to say, “ and he says to them, like we weren’t even there listening, ‘I’ve been dying to kiss you all night.’”

Akaashi’s face contorts in disgust and Bokuto laughs, pointing at him as he says, “And Kenma made a face just like that before they looked this guy straight in the eye and said, ‘then just die already.’”

Bokuto howls with laughter, and Kuroo wipes tears from his eyes, wrapping Kenma up in a sideways hug as he rocks them back and forth slowly.

“Long live Tipsy Kenma,” he announces loudly, and Kenma finally uncovers their face fully to see that Akaashi is grinning at them, actually grinning. Kenma’s stomach does an odd little flip, and they quickly divert their gaze.

“It wasn’t _that_ funny,” Kenma insists, but that only makes them laugh harder.

“Yes it was,” Kuroo assures them, patting their head lightly. “It was fucking legendary.”

Bokuto nods in enthusiastic agreement, and Akaashi is still smiling, cheeks pink from laughter and alcohol and his eyes practically shining under the dim bar lights. Kenma finds themself unable to look away.

As the focus of the conversation begins to shift away from them, Kenma relaxes slightly and sits up straight again, embarrassment fading as they listen passively to the conversation around them. When they cross their ankles under the table and accidentally kick someone else in the process, Kenma looks up immediately to see Akaashi’s gaze on them, and they quickly uncross their ankles and mutter a quiet, “Sorry,” as they redirect their focus to the conversation at hand.

Before they can even determine what is now happening in the conversation, they feel the insistent press of a foot against their left ankle again, and Kenma’s breath momentarily catches in their throat when the foot does not move away. They squirm slightly in their seat, unintentionally causing their own foot to press harder against Akaashi’s, and they look across the table to find him staring at them, face carefully neutral. Kenma swallows hard and stares back, noticing the slight curl of his hair, the sharp focus of his eyes, the slow way in which he is blinking at Kenma, the pinkness of his lips. Kenma doesn’t break eye contact until Kuroo is suddenly nudging them in the side, causing them to falter slightly as they turn to him with questioning eyes.

“What?” they ask, hoping he hadn’t noticed whatever it was that had been happening between them and Akaashi.

Kuroo shoots them a wide grin and nods toward Bokuto across the table. “Bo wants to dance, if that’s ok,” Kuroo tells them, and Kenma exhales in relief and thinks it’s kind of sweet that he thought to ask for permission, even if they both know Kenma would never deny him a dance with Bokuto.

“That’s fine,” Kenma assures and then almost jumps when they feel Akaashi’s foot shift against their ankle, trailing a few inches up the side of their calf.

Kuroo leans in to kiss Kenma softly on the mouth, and as he pulls away from them, he cups his hand around his mouth and practically purrs in Kenma’s ear, “Have fun, Kenma, and let me know if you two need anything. Bo and I won’t go too far.” Kenma’s cheeks burn as Kuroo pulls away, both from his words and the presence of Akaashi’s foot on their leg, and Kuroo gives them one last cheeky grin over his shoulder before grabbing Bokuto by the hips and leading him onto the dance floor.

Akaashi rests his chin in his hand and props his elbow up on the table across from Kenma, fighting a smile as Kenma turns to him, vehemently wishing their blush away.

“They’re not very subtle, are they?” Akaashi asks, leaning toward them across the table, and Kenma is suddenly very aware that something has shifted between them.

They find it difficult to keep their voice steady as they counter, “When have they ever been subtle about anything before?”

“Mmm, true,” Akaashi muses, slowly tracing the rim of his drink with his finger, and Kenma has trouble looking away. “So what do you think about all this?”

“All this what?” Kenma asks, but they have a pretty good idea of what Akaashi is talking about.

“This whole setup,” Akaashi elaborates, his finger pausing on his glass. “Them trying to get us together.”

Kenma reflexively replies with a quiet, “Ah,” in response to Akaashi’s bluntness, and they feel their cheeks beginning to warm again. They figured Akaashi would have realized what Kuroo and Bokuto were doing by now; they’re almost as observant as Kenma is. Hearing Akaashi acknowledge it out loud, though, sets Kenma’s heart beating even faster.

“I don’t know,” Kenma tells Akaashi honestly, looking up at him with uncertain eyes. “It’s kind of overwhelming to be honest.”

Akaashi hums in agreement, nodding toward the dance floor where Kuroo is currently kissing Bokuto fiercely, his hands placed firmly on Bokuto’s hips and Bokuto’s threading through Kuroo’s hair.

“They’ve both been very adamant about something happening between us,” Akaashi affirms, looking slightly exasperated. “I would have expected Bokuto to have dropped it by now, but he’s been more insistent than ever lately. And then there’s Kuroo-san with the all the texts…”

“Texts?” Kenma pauses, dread creeping up on them. “What texts?”

“Ah,” Akaashi suddenly looks embarrassed and runs a hand through his hair nervously, which only serves to make Kenma more worried. “They started out fine… casual… just about how often you and I were hanging out and what I thought about you.”

Kenma resists the urge to ask exactly _what_ Akaashi thinks about them, but they bite their tongue, too anxious about where this is headed to interrupt him now.

“And then he started giving me advice,” Akaashi continues, his voice lowering before he cuts himself off completely, eyes darting downward.

There is a brief moment of silence, and Akaashi remains completely still in his seat, staring intently at his drink on the table. Kenma, unsure if they really want to hear the rest of what Akaashi has to say, gives in and prompts, “What kind of advice?”

Akaashi raises his gaze to meet Kenma’s again, and his face contorts slightly as he says quietly across the table, “Sex advice.”

Kenma feels their mouth drop open in horror, but they’re too blindsided to even think to close it.

“ _No_ ,” they whisper, mortified. They can practically feel the color draining from their face.

“Yeah,” Akaashi confirms, looking very apologetic. “He even, um, sent me a list of your kinks.”

“Oh my god,” Kenma chokes, covering their mouth and screwing their eyes shut. They knew Kuroo had had a few conversations with Akaashi recently, but they didn’t think that they were texting too, and they definitely had no idea that Kuroo was talking to him about _sex_. “I’m going to kill him.”

“Please don’t do that. I don’t think Bokuto would ever forgive you,” Akaashi jokes, and when Kenma opens their eyes again they find that Akaashi is trying to give them a reassuring smile. “Honestly though, don’t be embarrassed. I won’t hold anything that I read against you, no matter how unexpected it was.”

“Oh my god,” Kenma repeats and prays for a quick and painless death. “I’m not confirming or denying anything.”

Akaashi laughs at that and nudges Kenma under the table with his foot. “Bokuto-san didn’t harass you at all, did he?” he asks.

“A little,” they admit, “but it was bearable.”

They both turn to look at the couple on the dance floor, and Kenma rolls their eyes when they notice that Kuroo now has both hands up Bokuto’s shirt. Kenma bites back another, “Gross,” and then Akaashi turns back to them, eyes shining a little when he asks, “Do you want to dance?” Kenma feels their stomach flip and their heartbeat quicken almost immediately, but they nod despite their sudden nervousness, licking their lips out of habit.

The forgotten pressure against Kenma’s leg is suddenly gone, and Akaashi is pushing his chair back and rising out of his seat, reaching his hand forward for Kenma’s. Kenma blinks at the hand in front of them before standing up as well and entwining their fingers with Akaashi’s. His fingers are colder than they expected, but they don’t mind. Akaashi gives Kenma a small, reassuring smile and turns around to pull Kenma through the crowd and onto the dance floor.

In the crowd, surrounded by the tall, sweaty bodies of drunk people dancing, a sudden wave of panic hits Kenma, and their heart beats painfully hard every time someone accidentally bumps into them. Maybe they can’t do this after all. They’re considering tapping Akaashi on the shoulder and telling him they’d actually rather not dance at all right now, but then Akaashi stops and turns to put a steady hand on Kenma’s shoulder.

“If you feel uncomfortable at all, please let me know,” Akaashi tells them, eyes focused and serious.

“Okay,” Kenma breathes, feeling a wave of _something_ (relief?) wash over them, and it’s suddenly a little bit easier to breathe.

Akaashi surprises Kenma by raising their clasped hands to his mouth and gently kissing Kenma’s fingers, one by one. They inhale shakily, briefly wondering what exactly Kuroo told Akaashi they were into and whether the phrase “hand kink” was involved, but then Akaashi lets go of their hand to slowly card his fingers through their hair, and Kenma decides that they don’t really care what Kuroo told Akaashi at all. Akaashi runs his hand along Kenma’s jaw, gently angling their head upward to align it with his, and Kenma rises onto their toes to press their mouth soundly against Akaashi’s first. Akaashi seems taken aback by their forwardness for only a brief second before his other hand finds Kenma’s waist and pulls their body closer to his own, moving his lips slowly against Kenma’s.

Kenma makes a small sound in the back of their throat and raises both of their hands to rest on Akaashi’s stomach, trailing light and teasing patterns across the fabric of his shirt. Akaashi grips their waist tighter in response, and when Kenma feels the tip of Akaashi’s tongue, warm at wet against their closed lips moments later, Kenma parts their lips and allows him to lick his way inside their mouth.

Someone suddenly bumps into Kenma from behind, causing them to stagger forward and pushing them even closer against Akaashi. Kenma hears Akaashi’s quiet, “Ah,” in response, and then both of his hands find their way to the small strip of bare skin between Kenma’s shirt and skirt, fingernails lightly dragging across Kenma’s skin before his hands latch on tighter, guiding their hips to move against his in time to the music. Kenma breaks away from the kiss momentarily to gasp, and suddenly there’s familiar laughter from behind them that has Kenma stilling almost immediately.

“Are you okay?” they hear Akaashi ask. He strains his neck to look behind Kenma, and when his gaze seems to focus on somebody behind them, his eyes narrow.

Kenma tries to pull away from Akaashi and turn around completely, but Akaashi doesn’t let them, tightening his grip on Kenma’s waist instead.

“Go away,” Akaashi threatens, and this time Kenma hears both Bokuto _and_ Kuroo laugh from behind them. “I’m serious.”

“You’d think they’d at least _thank us_ ,” Kuroo whines, and Kenma rolls their eyes.

“Go away,” Kenma echoes, pressing their face against Akaashi’s chest.

“Fine, fine,” Kuroo says from behind them, and Kenma can almost hear him sigh dramatically.

“Be safe!” Bokuto yells over the music, and Akaashi groans. “Oh! And Kenma…”

Kenma, a little surprised at being addressed directly by Bokuto, pulls away from Akaashi’s chest reluctantly and turns toward his grinning face. Eyes sparkling, Bokuto leans down to whisper in Kenma’s ear, “Kuroo told me that you’re really into—” Bokuto sputters indignantly as Kenma forcefully shoves his face away from their own, honestly _so fed up_ with both Kuroo and Bokuto at this point. Pouting, Bokuto grumbles more to himself than to Kenma, “I just thought you’d like to _know_ ,” as Kuroo laughs by his side, guiding him away and muttering something that sounds suspiciously like it contains the phrase, “Tipsy Kenma”.

“Sorry,” Kenma exhales as he turns back to Akaashi, but they don’t even get another word out because Akaashi’s lips are already pressed against theirs again. Kenma’s eyes flutter closed, and they sigh contentedly into the kiss.

“Don’t be,” Akaashi whispers against their lips, and Kenma shivers, hands returning to Akaashi’s chest immediately. “What did Bokuto say to you?”

With Akaashi’s lips only centimeters from their own, Kenma finds it difficult to listen to the question, let alone formulate a response, and Akaashi must get the hint because he leans back to look Kenma in the eyes instead of letting his lips hover.

“Not much,” Kenma admits, once their voice is working again. “I cut him off before he could say anything lewd.”

“Mmm good,” Akaashi says. “I’m the only one that will be saying lewd things to you tonight.”

A blush spreads across Kenma’s face quickly, and they bury their face into Akaashi’s chest. With their lips pressed against the fabric of his t-shirt, Kenma tells him, “You’re being embarrassing. That was so _cheesy_.” They feel his chest shake slightly with laughter.

“Sorry,” Akaashi apologizes, fingers tracing tiny circles over the back of their neck. “I’ve wanted this for a while now, and I’m tired of being interrupted. I just want you to myself tonight.”

Kenma’s fingers tighten in Akaashi’s shirt, and they pull away to look up at him, eyes narrowing slightly in determination as they say, “I want you too.” To their satisfaction, Akaashi’s eyes widen marginally, and his cheeks bloom with color. Akaashi shifts his gaze away from Kenma’s when he teases, “So this is tipsy Kenma…” and Kenma reaches up to pull him down into a kiss before he can say anything else.

Akaashi hums into the kiss, and Kenma wastes no time in gently pulling Akaashi’s bottom lip between their teeth and nibbling on it lightly, causing Akaashi to make a noise that Kenma more so feels against their lips than actually hears. Akaashi’s hands return to Kenma’s hips, and they begin to sway again, bodies moving against each other slowly. Kenma’s lips break away from Akaashi’s mouth, pressing soft kisses down his chin, under his jaw, and down the side of his neck. Akaashi tilts his head to expose more of his skin, and Kenma feels his fingernails digging into their hips as they suck persistently at a spot right above his collarbone. Kenma presses hot, open mouth kisses over the darkening bruise and then shifts slightly, starting another one further up his neck. The tight grip on Kenma’s hips is suddenly gone, and Kenma is about to pull away and protest, but then they feel long fingers trailing teasingly up the back of one thigh, under their skirt, and another hand reaching around to grab their ass and pull them flush against him.

Kenma’s lips detach from Akaashi’s neck, and a soft, surprised, “Oh,” escapes their mouth as the fingers underneath their skirt travel around to the front of their thigh, still climbing higher. Despite their best efforts not to, they squirm under Akaashi’s touch, and there’s no doubt that Akaashi feels them pressing insistently against his own crotch.

“What are you wearing underneath this?” he asks curiously in Kenma’s ear.

“See for yourself,” Kenma whispers back, swallowing hard as they glance down between them to watch.

To Kenma’s slight annoyance, Akaashi removes both his hands swiftly and brings them up to slide through their hair instead. Shaking his head, he tells them, “Not here.”

Kenma pulls back to meet Akaashi’s hooded gaze and says, “Fine,” grabbing one of Akaashi’s hands resolutely and startling him by tugging him through the crowd.

“Where are we going?” they hear him ask from behind them, but Kenma doesn’t stop walking until they make it back to their booth.

They grab Akaashi by the hips and turn him around so that he’s facing the dance floor with his back toward the booth, and Kenma shoves him downward until he’s sitting back down at the table, looking up at Kenma with wide eyes. Without preamble, Kenma walks up to where Akaashi is now sitting and climbs on top of him, swinging their leg across his lap so that they’re straddling him, body pressed close to his.

“Oh my god,” Akaashi says, and when he doesn’t look capable of saying anything else, Kenma reaches down to gently cup his face in their hand.

“I want you to touch me,” Kenma tells him before they lose the nerve to, and then they’re kissing again, hot and insistent.

It takes Akaashi a moment to overcome the shock of the situation and focus on the kiss, but when he does, Kenma finds it difficult to breathe at all. Akaashi’s lips are unrelenting, and he doesn’t pause until Kenma grinds down into his lap experimentally, pressing their crotches together and causing him to exhale shakily against their lips. Kenma repeats the motion, and they feel like every inch of their body is on fire as they grip Akaashi’s shoulders tightly for support. Resuming the kiss, Kenma reaches down blindly and grabs Akaashi’s hand, bringing it underneath their skirt and letting him feel where they’re straining against their underwear, barely confined by the lacy piece of fabric.

“ _Oh_ ,” he says in awe as he traces his fingertips, unprompted now, across the fabric. “Oh, wow.”

A breathy moan escapes Kenma’s lips when he pulls their dick free from their underwear and begins to stroke them slowly, feeling the weight of them in his hand and watching their reactions closely. Kenma’s eyes flutter closed, and their face goes slack, lips parting slightly and their mind unable to focus on anything but the feeling of Akaashi touching them. When he trails his thumb lightly over the head of their dick on an upward stroke, Kenma whimpers softly, curling in on themself.

“Ok?” Akaashi asks, brushing some of the hair out of their face. Kenma leans into the touch.

“Yes,” they assure him immediately, voice a little strained. “But Akaashi…” Akaashi’s hand pauses as he waits for them to finish, and Kenma opens their eyes again to look at him when they say, “I want to touch you too.”

“Oh,” he says in surprise, licking his lips. “You do?”

“Yeah. I really do,” they whisper, bringing one of their hands downward to hover directly above the front of his pants. “Is that ok?”

Akaashi nods, dropping his gaze as he slowly begins to stroke Kenma again, and Kenma refuses to look away from his face as they press the heel of their hand against his crotch.

“Kenma,” Akaashi groans against their neck, sighing loudly when Kenma does it again. “Kenma, people can see us, you know.”

His eyes dart around the club almost nervously, but he makes no effort to stop or move away as Kenma continues to touch him. Kenma’s lips quirk into an almost-smile, and they assure him, “I know,” as they slip their hand beneath the waistband of his pants to touch him through his underwear.

“Oh god,” Akaashi says, and Kenma’s not sure if it‘s more of a response to their touch or their words, but they are pleased nonetheless. They freeze up entirely, however, when Akaashi continues, “Kuroo was right. You are an exhibitionist.”

Akaashi laughs breathily, and Kenma rubs against him again to shut him up. He moans under their touch, and Kenma asks innocently, “What else did he tell you?”

“Mmm…” Akaashi struggles to form words, and Kenma continues to tease him through his boxers relentlessly. “A lot… I don’t remember all of it now. He brought up the hand thing…”

“I knew it,” Kenma scowls, shaking their head. “What else?”

“This,” he answers, grabbing a fistful of Kenma’s hair and pulling it roughly.

Kenma’s head falls back willingly, exposing their pale neck to Akaashi, and they let out a startled, “Ah!” at the unexpected action, eyes fluttering closed instinctively. Akaashi’s hand leaves their hair, and when Kenma recovers from the shock of it and looks at him again, his eyes are dark, pupils blown wide. Kenma’s tongue darts out to wet their lips.

“Keep touching me,” they command, voice only slightly unsteady as they finally dip their hand underneath the waistband of Akaashi’s boxers to touch him directly.

Akaashi’s hand sets a faster pace than before, one that has Kenma panting into his neck and struggling to match the pace for Akaashi, but uncertainty begins to creep up on them as they realize they’re not quite sure what Akaashi is comfortable with.

“What do you want? Tell me,” Kenma whispers in his ear, hand circling his clit at the same speed Akaashi’s hand is working over them.

“Finger me,” Akaashi rasps, adding last minute, “but only if you want to.”

“Of course I want to,” they insist, pulling their hand out of his underwear. “But first…”

Kenma presses two of their fingers against Akaashi’s lips, and his eyes widen fractionally before he parts his lips and takes them into his mouth. The feeling of Akaashi’s tongue running teasingly along their fingers has Kenma watching with rapt attention, and when Akaashi’s gaze flickers up to theirs, Kenma pulls their fingers out a couple inches and pushes them back in gently. Akaashi hums around them, eyelashes fluttering prettily as he watches Kenma’s own expression. His hand on their dick never even pauses.

When Kenma pulls their fingers out of his mouth, wet and dripping with saliva and slightly chilly in the cool air, Akaashi grabs their wrist and slowly guides their hand down, back into his underwear.

“Start slow,” Akaashi instructs, and Kenma nods their head, wanting to do well, wanting this to be good for him.

Kenma runs a hesitant finger down between his folds, and feeling how wet he is only serves to make Kenma want this more desperately. They start with one finger, and when it meets little resistance they let it slide into Akaashi slowly, gauging his reaction. He lets out a quiet breath, his hand faltering on Kenma for only a second. Carefully, Kenma pulls their finger out and pushes it back in gently, almost smirking when they see Akaashi swallow hard.

“Good, keep going,” he encourages them, bringing his other hand behind Kenma and grabbing them by the ass to prevent them from sliding farther away from him. Kenma makes a small noise in response, and Akaashi continues, “You know, this isn’t how I pictured our first time happening.” He lets out a shaky laugh, and Kenma’s finger automatically increases its pace in and out of him. “I didn’t think it’d be in the middle of a club, where so many people could look over at us at any time and probably figure out what we’re doing…” His voice trails off, and Kenma adds a second trembling finger alongside the first one.

Akaashi’s eyes are closed again, and Kenma can’t believe this is happening, that they’re in his lap, that they’re touching him, that _he’s_ touching _them_. Kenma’s thumb finds Akaashi’s clit again as they thrust their fingers in and out of him slowly, and Akaashi whispers a rough, “Oh my god, Kenma.” His grip on their ass tightens and causes Kenma to whimper.

“What’d you think it would be like?” they manage to ask, voice shaky.

“I thought I’d at least get a chance to suck you off,” Akaashi answers bluntly, and Kenma shivers.

“Next time,” they promise him.

“Or finger you…” he continues thoughtfully, removing his hand from Kenma’s dick for a moment to trace his fingertips teasingly around their entrance.

“Oh my god,” Kenma chokes out, tightening the grip of their hand on Akaashi’s shoulder. “You can’t— there’s no lube.”

“I know, I know,” he says, and his voice sounds a little resigned. “Otherwise I’d have started already.”

Kenma is panting heavily now, their body entirely too hot, and every other breath leaving their mouth sounds like a quiet moan. Akaashi’s hand returns to their dick, and he resumes stroking Kenma at an even faster pace, twisting his hand over the head of their dick on every upward stroke now. Kenma’s shaking, and they’re so, so close when Akaashi leans in again and whispers, “Of course, if we were back in my bedroom at my apartment, I would have access to my strap-on, and then I could really fuck you. How do you usually like it? Bent over and on your knees for me?”

“Ah— ” With a broken moan escaping their lips, Kenma comes all over Akaashi’s hand, their head falling forward until their forehead is pressed against Akaashi’s.

They stay like that for a moment, regaining their breath, until they remember that Akaashi still hasn’t finished. Kenma pulls their fingers out of Akaashi, and he makes a small noise of surprise, looking up at Kenma in confusion.

“Can I try something?” Kenma asks, flushed and exhausted but still eager to make him feel good.

“Sure,” he replies easily. “But first, clean this up, please.”

Akaashi raises his hand to Kenma’s lips, and when they notice that it’s the one covered in their come, they blush deeply. Despite their embarrassment, they open their mouth, sticking their tongue out a little, and take Akaashi’s hand in their own, guiding his fingers into their mouth one by one. Kenma takes their time, licking up the sides of his fingers, sucking them into their mouth gently, and dragging their tongue teasingly over the palm of his hand until it is clean and glistening in the dim overhead lights.

Kenma pulls away, licking the mess off their lips, and presses, “Can I try it now?”

“What do you want to try?” Akaashi asks, and Kenma prays that he’ll be as intrigued by the idea as they are because it’s nearly all Kenma can think about right now.

“I want to eat you out,” they tell him hopefully, dragging their fingers along the waistband of his pants. “I would go underneath the table. No one would probably even see me there.”

Akaashi’s eyes widen, and he takes a big, shuddering breath. His eyes dart around the club for a split second, and then he’s countering, “But then people would be able to see my face. I wouldn’t have you in my lap to block the view anymore.”

“I guess you’ll just have to keep a straight face, then,” Kenma replies logically, shrugging. “You already seem pretty close, so it shouldn’t take that long. What do you think?”

Akaashi looks unsure for a moment, eyes unable to meet Kenma’s and his lips pressed together in thought, but then he’s looking at Kenma again, his hands suddenly on their shoulders, and he’s pushing them downward, onto their knees beneath the table. Kenma’s eyes are wide as they stare up at him, surprised by his assertiveness but secretly very, very pleased.

“Make it quick, then,” Akaashi says, eyes roaming around the club again, and Kenma doesn’t even hesitate in pulling down his pants and underwear, immediately nestling their face in his crotch and breathing in the musky scent of him.

Kenma licks a tentative stripe upward, eyes focused on Akaashi’s face above them, and they can’t help feeling smug when he immediately covers his mouth with his fist, propping his elbow up on the table and trying to prop his head up casually. Kenma does it again, slower this time, allowing their tongue to press more insistently against him, and Akaashi’s hips twitch upward when their tongue grazes over his clit.

Akaashi snakes his other hand beneath the table to tangle it in Kenma’s hair, and Kenma groans quietly when he practically shoves their face between his legs harshly, a silent cue to speed things up. Kenma complies without hesitation, starting to suck gently on his clit as they bring their hand up to insert a finger into him again. Kenma hears him make a startled noise above them, and they try not to smile as they thrust their finger into him again and quicken the speed of their tongue.

They can tell that Akaashi isn’t going to last much longer, and when Kenma hums enthusiastically against his clit moments later, they feel him clench around their finger, his hips thrusting off the seat and a long, drawn out moan coming from his mouth. Kenma looks up to see Akaashi hiding his face in his hands. They withdraw their finger slowly and wipe their mouth on the back of their hand before climbing out from under the table and sitting in the booth right next to Akaashi.

“Ok?” they ask hesitantly, hoping the fact that he’s still hiding his face is a positive reaction.

Akaashi removes his hands begrudgingly and looks over at them, eyes half-lidded and cheeks flushed pink.

“Definitely ok,” he says, and Kenma covers their mouth to hide their pleased smile.

“Do you think anyone noticed?” they ask offhandedly, eyes scanning the empty tables around them and the people dancing on the crowded dance floor.

“I hope not,” he sighs, and he sounds as exhausted as Kenma feels.

Kenma is still elated though, and they tentatively reach for Akaashi’s hand at his side, taking it in their own and interlocking their fingers. Akaashi smiles at the gesture, and Kenma doesn’t hide their smile this time.

“You should come home with me tonight,” Akaashi suggests, rubbing his thumb over the back of Kenma’s hand soothingly.

“Is that ok with Bokuto?” they ask, tilting their head in question. “Don’t you only have one bedroom?”

“I think we could convince him to go back with Kuroo,” Akaashi states, and Kenma smirks.

“True, we could,” they agree, squeezing his hand tighter. “Or… we could all go back to mine and Kuroo’s apartment. We have two bedrooms.”

“And listen to them have sex all night?” Akaashi questions, frowning.

Kenma snorts and replies, “I’m sure it wouldn’t be all night. And I don’t know… maybe I don’t really find the idea of them having sex all that unappealing.”

“Oh?” Akaashi raises an eyebrow, amusement flickering in his eyes. “What are you suggesting, Kenma?”

“Stop,” they protest, cheeks heating, and they shove Akaashi in the side. “Don’t mention this conversation to either of them.”

Akaashi laughs but agrees, “Ok, I promise I won’t.”

They sit together for a while, talking casually in low tones, teasing each other every now and then just to see the other blush. Akaashi finally tells Kenma what exactly was on the list Kuroo gave him, and he lets them scroll through his messages with Kuroo, Kenma becoming increasingly mortified the longer they read. Akaashi admits that he really would have kissed Kenma that day on the couch if Bokuto hadn’t walked in, and Kenma confesses that they really couldn’t get that almost-kiss out of their head, no matter how hard they tried. Akaashi tells Kenma that he’s thankful to have someone who understands him so well, and Kenma quietly whispers that Akaashi feels like a piece of them they didn’t know was missing.

Bokuto and Kuroo saunter back to the table roughly half an hour later, wearing twin smug expressions on their faces, and Kenma mentally prepares themself for the worst.

“So…” Kuroo begins, tapping his fingers ominously on the table as he slips into the seat across from Kenma.

“Anything you’d like to share with us?” Bokuto continues, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

“Not really, no,” Akaashi replies seriously.

“No interesting developments to tell your boyfriends about?” Kuroo presses, leaning across the table to look Kenma in the eye.

“None that you probably don’t already know about,” Kenma tells them. “Oh, but you don’t know that Akaashi’s spending the night at ours tonight, so there’s that.”

“Spending the night?” Kuroo’s lips quirk into a smirk. “Surely you two aren’t gonna have another go after _that_ , are you?”

“ _Kuroo_ ,” Kenma exclaims, hiding their face in Akaashi’s shoulder, and they can hear Akaashi whispering fervently in their ear, “Kenma, I _knew_ someone would see us.”

“Don’t worry,” Bokuto says, and at least he actually sounds apologetic. “I’m pretty sure we were the only ones watching you.”

“Oh my god.” Kenma’s not looking at them yet… or ever again, honestly. “How much did you see?”

“Enough to have sufficient masturbation material for the rest of my life.” Kuroo grins, and Akaashi makes a disgusted noise next to Kenma.

“Ok, I take back everything I said about them before,” Kenma tells Akaashi seriously. “They’re disgusting.”

“What did you say about us before?” Bokuto inquires, eyes wide and questioning.

“None of your business,” Akaashi answers for them. “Now, I’m getting tired, so Kenma and I are going to head back to their apartment. You can come with us now if you’re done being gross and embarrassing, or you can leave later and walk back alone.”

“Kuroo, let’s go now,” Bokuto insists, tugging on Kuroo’s sleeve like he’s a child.

“Ok, we’ll walk with you,” Kuroo agrees, getting to his feet.

The four of them leave the bar together and walk out into the frigid night air, the wind biting at their cheeks and their feet treading carefully over sporadic patches of ice on the sidewalk. Kenma exhales silently into the nighttime air when Akaashi wraps his hand around theirs, and they can see their breath rising up toward the dark, cloudy sky. Kuroo and Bokuto have been holding hands since they first left the club, so it is a surprise when Kenma feels a cold hand grab their other hand, entwining their fingers together. Kenma looks over to see Kuroo smiling at them, eyes twinkling in the streetlamps and teeth shining brightly like the snow beneath their feet.

“This is silly,” Kenma mutters, eyeing the long chain the four of them make, all holding hands and extending out into the street (there are too many of them to all fit onto the sidewalk side by side). “And impractical.”

“It’s cute, and you love it,” Kuroo corrects, squeezing Kenma’s hand, and they feel a warm blush creep onto their cheeks.

They listen to the sound of their feet crunching in the crisp, newly fallen snow, loud in the silence of the empty street. Kenma looks over at Akaashi and almost slips on a patch of ice when they find him already watching them, a small, content smile on his face and his eyes gleaming with what appears to be happiness. Kenma returns the smile automatically, hoping Akaashi can tell that they feel the same exact way. They’re happy, truly happy, and though they’re not always this lucky and don’t always have days where they feel like this, Kenma knows now that they have several people who love and support them unconditionally that they can always fall back on.

Walking home hand in hand with the people they love, Kenma feels inexplicably full, like pieces of their life are finally coming together and everything is finally turning out like it’s supposed to. Between Kuroo and Akaashi and with Bokuto by their side, Kenma finally feels secure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the end!!!!! i hope you all enjoyed it, and please let me know what you think! <3
> 
> my tumblr is pansexuall.tumblr.com if you ever want to come say hi to me over there! thank you again for reading!


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